Friday, March 16, 2007

Freedom

What does freedom mean? Obviously, there is no standard definition...nor is there any standard way of defining how being free feels...The thing that everyone says though about freedom is that it means different things to different people. For some, it's the joy of waking up everyday and knowing that you are in charge of your own destiny while for others, it still remains an elusive dream that is the only reason for living...


It is on this note that I must admit of being guilty of something that is to do with 'the lost meaning of words' and that is of using the word 'Freedom' too liberally or too frequently, without probably knowing of its true meaning or of its true implications. Let me give an example to illustrate what I'm saying...

From 20th to 24th March, BITS is going to play host to APOGEE - the institute's All-India Tech Fest. So, it effectively means that all of us have a fortnight off starting today. My classwork ended today at 10 am. So what have I done after that? I logged onto Google Talk and promptly set my status message to 'FREEDOM FOR A FORTNIGHT', freedom as in there being no tests, no exams, no classes for the next fortnight.

So, maybe I have forgotten the true meaning of freedom. After all, being born and brought up in a free nation, there are many things which are taken for granted...some simple pleasures of a free life that are not appreciated...some historical percepts that are not remembered...

Today, as write this entry, I hope I can absolve myself of this crime of taking the word 'freedom' so lightly. I hope that I always remember what this simple word means to those who suffer from its absence, and I hope too that the freedom that I enjoy, also extends to all other beings on this planet.

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