Easter | Free

You and I want to be free. The challenge to that, however, is quite complex. The first complexity is the definition of freedom itself. Is “free” the capacity and ability to do as we wish? What does “free” mean? There are at least fifteen definitions, according to Merria-Webster, including “not taken up with commitments or obligations” and “open to all comers.” When there are that many definitions and interpretations of “free” that we must sort through, the danger of adopting the wrong perspective is high. People, pressure, and influences push you and me toward things that ultimately entrap us, though they were pitched to us under the guise of freedom. Credit cards allow us to spend until we find ourselves bound by debt. Drugs or alcohol promise us stress-free, but we may find ourselves bound by addiction. A promotion may promise us freedom through opportunity, but we may find ourselves bound to a schedule that drains us of life. University is said to be the path to freedom in the future, but many of us are bound by student loan debt. In the end, we are not free.