"When you truly sing, you sing yourself free. When you truly dance, you dance yourself free. When you walk in the mountains or swim in the sea, again, you set yourself free.” - Jay Woodman

Today, I am thinking about freedom and what it really means to me. I find myself thinking about my personal freedom, our collective freedom and the rights we declare to help define and protect it, and the responsibilities that come with freedom for me.

One common definition of freedom is “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” I would change this definition to read “without external hindrance or restraint.” I could consider myself completely free by doing whatever I want and acting on every thought and feeling just as I pleased. In fact, I don’t act on my freedom this way. For me, the greatest freedom is a matter of choosing to do what is right with love. For me this requires thoughtful reflection, emotional awareness, and self-restraint. I can choose to act in ways that aren't my first impulse out of consideration for those I love, a goal I am pursuing, the well being of others, or values I hold sacred. This applies in my personal life and in my actions in the broader community.

I look around me and I know that the vast majority of people exercise their freedom just as I do. Sill, I have met people in my life who feel strongly that the are not fully free because they cannot act just as they please, and who blame others for hindering and restraining them. It seems to me that these people are misplacing the responsibility for their freedom of choice and action. There are things I wish I could do, thoughts and feelings I wish I could express, and act on, more fully. I choose not to act on these because I believe my doing so would be wrong. I’ve concluded that expressing and acting on these thoughts and feelings would be harmful to those I love, unjust to someone, or inconsistent with my values and what I believe is right.

There are also actions I take, or views I express, knowing that they will be unpopular, controversial, or challenging in some way. I act having decided that the value, or importance, of acting justifies the consequences. I take responsibility for my freedom of choice and for the consequences of my actions, and of my inaction. As a result, I believe I am happier than those who unjustly assign this responsibility to others and blame them for limiting their freedom.

As I think of our collective freedom, secured and maintained through the efforts of others over hundreds of years in this country, and over thousands of years of human history, I remember again the words of Abraham Lincoln in a letter to Henry L. Pierce and others in 1859. He wrote, "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.” From Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence that we are all endowed with unalienable Rights including, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”, to the first amendment’s protection of freedom of religion, speech, the press, peaceable assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, our nation is founded on the notion of equal rights and freedom for all.

Franklin D. Roosevelt further identified essential human rights that should be universally protected in his Four Freedoms State of the Union address and these, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear, were beautifully portrayed in paintings by Norman Rockwell. This theme of essential human rights was incorporated into the Atlantic Charter, and became part of the charter of the United Nations where the preamble includes “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small” and “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”

On December 10, 1948, the UN adopted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights which includes in its preamble, “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”, and, in Article I, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Seen against the background of the discrimination faced by women, blacks, hispanics, Japanese Americans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people and others during Roosevelt’s time, the Four Freedoms defined 76 years ago next month, and other declarations of human rights, were clearly hopeful statements of our aspirations. In the more than 60 years since the UN Declaration of Human Rights, we have made real progress. We have much more work to do eliminate discrimination, and to ensure equality and equity for all people.

Women and children are far from enjoying equal rights and freedom. The work of UN-Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women which continues to work to advance gender equality, and the adoption of the the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are valuable efforts to advance the cause of equal rights for women and children. The work of organizations like the Carter Center and others help advance this cause every day.

Can I ever be completely free, and able to act to advance my own goals, dreams and values, while others have less opportunity for freedom than I do? As long as women, children, and others who are perceived as different in some way, and who are treated by some as “less than” or wrong because of their differences, are discriminated against and offered less opportunity I don’t see how any of us can fully enjoy our rights and freedom.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 29, “Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.” So I choose to act on my duty by working to help eliminate inequality, and to secure equal rights and opportunities for all people. My small efforts may make only a small difference and I doubt I will live to see truly equal, and equitable, freedom for all. Still, anything I can do to advance this goal while I live will be a good use of my time, energy, and freedom.

I know that I fail every day in my efforts to always do what is right with love. Sometimes my actions are unloving, or wrong. I sometimes choose not to act out of fear, uncertainty, or even when inaction is convenient for me. Yet, I continue to do my best each day and to look for ways to grow stronger in my commitment and in my actions. As Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”