The Role of Politics in Shaping Freedoms and Liberties

An excess of liberty results in a heightening of imminent danger. Unlimited freedom is the most dangerous idea we may ever face. We have a problem with excessive liberty. For people of the Information Age expect to gain liberty without consequence. Nothing in life is done without there being consequences. These consequences are then viewed as either beneficial or hampering to one's own freedom. Liberty shall always be made questionable, as we are a species that become dangerous when we are exposed to a surplus of liberty provided at our discretion. To be able to handle liberty means to be able to handle controlling our cravings and unpredictable impulses; impulses which react before we may even assess them within our minds. We have reached to a state where we just do things just for the sake of saying we did it. Freedom is nothing to be discussed, when it comes to a human being's natural state or condition in life. But, within current political affairs, freedom is structured and given a guide book on how to apply and use it for certain "occasions". This mentality must be put to an end, if people are to truly profit from the benefits of being free, especially in a world where freedom seems to be a distant memory. To be free is to be an avid contributor to politics; the very domain that runs societies and civilizations. Reformation of the perception of politics must then come underway, by altering the duties and standards that modern politics is set upon. Political scheming comes naturally, as people’s lust for power takes into effect. However, such lust is only contained, if it is restrained by the people and other stakeholders involved in operating an entire society. Freedom is regulated by politics, through the very notion of liberty. Liberties are provided to citizens, in exchange for certain level of wealth, obedience and surrender of some personal freedoms to the state. The state is then obliged to use such liberties as a yardstick, which enables it to manage, control and provide for all those they shelter under the rule of law. What tends to be misleading is, many begin to assume that politics is a matter left to politicians and not to the common folk. This is where there must be a reformation of the attitude behind how politics is seen and accepted by all living in a nation. Mastery of politics is better dealt with by state members and politicians, per se, but the study and involvement within political life must be taken up by the common folk. Like love, relationships may only function if love is accepted and provided in both ways. One may love more than the other, while the other may respect and cherish more than love their partners. Hence, the relationship between the state and the people must not be political but rather relational and one that allows progress and development to commence on both sides. Politics, as the art of managing and associating people, should become the outer magnetic force that encompasses within it the relationship between the state and the people. To reach to such a state, liberties must not only be granted but must be educated to the masses. People must understand the liberties they are being granted and at what cost, while the state must understand that such liberties are not designed to be used at their disposal but for the sake of gaining the people's support as shareholders that may shape the decision-making processes of the nation. This would lead on to addressing the following factors, which must be held accountable for the right practice of freedom to occur, such as:

Education:

Educational institutions must address the significance of the liberties granted by the state to its people, while defining vividly how that differs from what their real freedoms actually are. Coming to such form of understanding means being vocal enough to express clearly and truthfully what people are capable of. Capability of the individual to grasp what freedom feels like or what liberty is truly designed for, allows them to make better use of their lives and understand furthermore their assigned roles within the overall structure of society. The politics behind how education is meant to be and what education is meant to offer, must be put to a minimal. For education is one of the truest sources of ultimate freedom and one facet of society that allows for the liberation of people, in heart, mind and spirit, which therefore is ought to be unlimited.

Upbringing:

How families raise their children is crucial and a key determinant on how future generations help shape societies. Many leaders, intellectuals, artists and citizens of all sorts have been positively and negatively shaped by their upbringings. To most, if not all parents, their methods of raising children differs and is usually faulty, as they are new to this whole concept. They get better at managing their affairs or priorities on how to raise their children, after their first child and get better as they keep producing more. But even though they may become more experienced at helping raise their children, they will always lack the ability to raise children that would grow to become active and integral members of society. Discipline is required but liberty to uncover their true potentials and be able to make and learn from mistakes, is equally imperative. Investing within expanding the minds of youngsters, by exposing them to the good and bad sides of the world, instead of just shielding children from the darkness that lurks around, is essential. Allowing children's creativity to overtake their actions is needed, in order for them to not be dragged by the wrong tides. More so, explaining the significance, important and relevance of politics to children is needed. The fact that many youngsters find politics worrisome or boring is a sign of imminent danger on the future stability of a nation. What families should understand is, their children are not raised for their own ends but gradually are grown to benefit the ends of society. Keeping that in mind may change the way parents view the importance of upbringing, especially when they are to handle certain liberties that they may never truly understand its significance or necessity. Politics has no age preference. Politics is for all ages. For once the individual is born, they become political by nature. Convincing a child that they are too young to understand is contributing to an injustice on the child’s cognitive and rational capacities to understand the kind of world they are being raised in. In many cases, the child may understand more than the fully engaged adult, as their minds are far less rigid and contaminated by societal ways, due to their ability to still wonder, question and not filter their thoughts into categories or labels.

Environment:

The environment plays an integral role in how one exercises their freedoms and liberties. In fact, politics plays the most crucial factor in shaping an environment that would better situate the needs and wants of the people. But, to understand or determine the type of environment one wishes upon themselves or the nation, one must understand how politics plays into the creation of such environments. For, environments generate the various circumstances that people are raised into. To be truly liberated and for the people to truly make use of their given liberties, they must take seriously the notion of shaping their environments. Their input in such an initiative, is what instigates a culture to arise. Cultures of various countries, which were based on older civilizations, tend to pass down many traits that are still influential and applied by the vast majority. However, people’s behaviours and preferences within the current lives that they lead within particular times or eras, are what truly help create a more modified culture based on interaction and collaboration to meet certain mutual ends. Looking back to the past, in order to not disappoint families or the general established order and norms of society, is an outdated mode of thinking that must be reformed in its entirety. This is where the politics of a nation plays the role of shaping people’s thoughts and mindsets, by allowing for a detachment of the individual from cultural norms to fully unravel and generate different circumstances that would possess their own unique traits and qualities, which would help modify societal progress towards a new environment.

Laws:

Laws may either be repressing or comforting but they may never be liberating. Laws are designed to give up some of the people's personal freedoms, in exchange for safety or security. But, what of the provision of safety from the adverse effects generated by political intrigue and scheming? Laws that are designed to protect the people from each other must also be designed to protect the people from the state and to protect them from the very laws crafted to create their security. Laws that are fixated are laws that hold no true value. As generations pass from one to the next, people's preferences, views and behaviours changes. Laws that were designed and possibly agreed upon by one generation does not entail that it must be applied for the generation hereafter. The act of changing laws, every generation, is also not a good idea to begin with. For, too much reformation leads to a lack of stability. However, laws must be flexible and must provide the people with the choice of them following and accepting them. More so, laws most often seem to be crafted at the hands of politicians that are keen on protecting the interests of the elites, whom come in different shapes, sizes and colours in the Information Age. Therefore, a constant reassessment and revision on a periodic basis, from one generation to the next, over the laws in place, are a true exercise of people's liberties within a nation.