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Definition Essay

Freedom Clause

By :John Aerol L. Belza 

   We read about freedom, dream about it, celebrate it, advocate for it, and hope for it, but
what exactly do we mean when we say "freedom"? Freedom might imply the ability to vote
for specific ideas or people who best represent our viewpoints. The concept of freedom can
refer to the opportunity to openly express personal opinions or perspectives. Others may think
of freedom in terms of financial freedom, such as the desire to be free of financial debt,
outstanding credit, and burdensome debts. But what does actual liberty entail? Is it a voter's
ballot or someone being released from prison? What are the types of freedom? And is
freedom and democracy the same thing? These are the topics I hope to address in this paper.

There are numerous definitions of the term "Freedom", Merriam Webster defines freedom
as the quality or state of being free, such as: the lack of necessity, force, or restriction in one's
choice or conduct, independence from slavery or other forms of oppression, the bravery with
which an idea or action was conceived or carried out, and a political privilege. Freedom
entails more than the ability to do anything we desire. That approach, if taken too far, may
result in hazardous lawlessness. So are we truly free? NO, because we have laws to limit our
actions so that chaos can be avoided, for example, if laws does not exist and every person in
the world is entitled to every rights there is, then genocide and massacre would be legal, rape
would be understandable, and infidelity would become a common thing. Former U.S
President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave us three forms of freedom during his state of the union
address on January 6, 1941, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of the press, and
freedom to religion. According to Article 10 of the Human Rights Act, Freedom of
Expression is a right to express oneself, receive and transmit information and ideas without
intervention from the government, Freedom of the Press also shares the same definition as
freedom of speech and expression, lastly Freedom to Religion means that we have the right to
choose our religion and to express it without being discriminated by others. To protect these
three types of freedom the constitution said that no law shall be passed abridging these
freedoms thus assuring us that as long as our country is a democratic country our freedom is
safe. Our Supreme Court also gives us a definition of the word freedom, specifically freedom
of expression, the court ruled “Freedom of expression has gained recognition as a
fundamental principle of every democratic government”, now, to answer the question “is
freedom and democracy the same thing?” No, because democracy is a type of government,
whereas liberty is a right, but they are like a pair. Democracy will not work if there is no
freedom and vice versa. Freedom, like every right, also has some prohibitions and that is:
Time, Place, and Manner. Time, place, and manner restrictions apply to all speeches,
regardless of the viewpoint stated. They are frequently imposed to balance other rights or to
safeguard a legitimate government interest. Another type of freedom is our freedom to vote,
given that our country is a democratic country it is only appropriate to let the people decide
on whom they want to choose as their leader. All of the types of freedom mentioned in this
paper is under the freedom clause of the first amendment of both the U.S and Philippine
Constitution.

Full Freedom is something that we cannot attain for it will cause chaos in the world, but
even if we are not fully free, we still have our rights to protect us from abusive people, we
still have our right to choose, to vote, and to say whatever we want to say as long as it's in
accordance to the law. Knowing the definition of freedom is essential because it is an
assurance to us that we are living in a democratic country and we are being protected,
knowing the limitations of our freedom is more important because it will help us to properly
exercise our rights, and lastly, studying a little bit of the law will help us understand on why
human beings will never attain full freedom.

Proofread By: Irish O. Montellano

 Responding to the Text

Comprehension Questions

1. According to recto, the components of nationalism are a growing and deepening

awareness that we are a distinct people with our own personality and essence, our
own cultures and beliefs, our own values, our own way of looking at things, and our
own way of life, as well as a firm belief in our race's genius and the people's capacity
for advancement toward their fate.
2. According to the text nationalism s nourished by a sense of history.
3. Internationalism, in the author's opinion, is a natural extension of nationalism.
4. Extreme nationalism causes people to deliberately refuse to perceive the country's
negative aspects, focusing instead on its positive aspects.
5. Ultranationalism occurs when people push their nationalism beyond national
borders, wanting to be first not only in their own country but also in other countries,
leading in them becoming imperialists.

Critical Thinking Questions

1. In my opinion, nationalism, as defined by recto, is not just an abstract concept but a

necessary quality that any nation must possess in order to be unified, peaceful, grow,
and maintain the culture of our ancestors.
2. According to Recto It is essential to have a deep understanding of the past in order
to be in perfect openness with the men who shaped history and in personal contact
with their thoughts, acts, and heroic lives.
3. Nationalism seeks to advocate the interests of a certain nation particularly with the
goal of achieving and preserving sovereignty over one's homeland in order to form a
nation state.
4. Being a nationalist does not restrict you from relating to people from other
countries. It doesn't mean you have a negative attitude about people from other
countries. It simply implies that, when it comes to making policies, the interests of the
country with which you identify take primacy.
5. Nationalism can be considered as honest and enlightened in a way that this openly
protects the interest of your nation without conspiring with others.