Q2- Module 1: Lesson 1- Realize that “All Actions Have Consequences”

WHAT IS FREEDOM? WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF FREEDOM?

1. Freedom is an intrinsic and essential property of the person. This means that the human person by nature is a free
being and that it is his or her nature to seek freedom. An indication of human freedom is the ability to make
choices and perform actions. Our freedom to act sets us apart from other things. We see some animals behave like
human beings because they seem to perform actions in response to commands. A well-trained dog can perform
certain acts on command such as “stay here” or “fetch this ball” because it is conditioned to perform them. Is it the
same about human beings? You just can’t ask a stranger to stay put or fetch this ball if you toss it because he or
she is not conditioned to obey like a dog.
Also, human persons do not experience the world in the same way that animals do. Animals act instinctively,
meaning, their actions are more like predetermined responses to certain stimuli. A person on the other hand, can
choose the course of action to take when given stimulus or faced with a certain situation. It is that inherent freedom
that makes humans very dynamic creatures and our actions do not necessarily follow a set pattern or a pre-determined
course.
Your mother may ask you to clean your room one day and you will follow her instruction. The following week,
however, you may decide not to clean your room when told because you feel lazy. Do these actions indicate that you
are exercising your freedom?
2. Freedom is also understood as the power to be what you want to be and the ability to decide and create for
yourself. Many of the characteristics that define our personality are often the products of our choices. Our talents,
for instance, are developed to their fullest only if we choose to dedicate time and effort to improve them. Our
preferences and views are other aspects of our personality that we freely adopt. Now, do you have the ability to
imagine what would you be in the future? Does your freedom give you the ability to strive for that goal?
3. Freedom is rooted in the human person’s self-determination and the exercise of intellect and will. This means that a
person’s every action is freely determined. We can freely choose to be a good person and to act in a good way. A good
act makes a person better while its opposite has a negative impact on him or her. This is the nature of self-
determination: that a person’s actions determine what kind of person he or she becomes.
4. Freedom also requires a degree of control from the person who exercises it. A person becomes freer when he or she
exercises control over himself or herself. On the other hand, a person becomes less free when his or her actions are
controlled by other forces. A person suffering from addiction is less free because he or she is overpowered by his or
her desires to certain substances. People who act solely based on their emotions are also less free because they allow
themselves to be driven by their feelings without any regard for ethical considerations. People who behave
impulsively and erratically are more similar to animals. To lose control of oneself diminishes human freedom and
dehumanize the person.

I. KINDS OF FREEDOM
1. Physical Freedom refers to the absence of any physical restraint. Here, the person has the freedom of mobility to go
where he or she wants to go. With this freedom, will it allow you to act and move in a determined manner? Will it
allow you to move from one place to another and go to wherever you want to go? Do persons deprived of liberty
(those on prisons incarcerated for crimes pending or judgment made final) enjoy physical freedom?
2. Psychological Freedom is also called freedom of choice. The person is free to perform actions that he or she
considers right and wise. A person is also free to act or not. Psychological freedom is innate (inherent to all persons)
which can’t be denied and no outside force or influence can compel them to take action against their will. To feel
something such as love, hate, contentment, despair, pride, sorrow, or anger is true to any person’s emotions. Do you
have any right to tell someone to be happy or sad?
3. Moral freedom refers to using freedom in a manner that upholds human dignity and goodness. Freedom is not an
object that a person may use in whatever way he or she pleases. A person must use freedom for him to grow as a
person. Humans have a natural inclination for what is true and good and when a person uses his or her freedom to do
acts that violate human dignity and goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively negates human
freedom. When a person uses freedom well, will he become freer? Or less free, when he or she uses freedom in a bad
way?

II. WHAT MAKES YOU FREE? HOW DOES FREEDOM SHAPE YOUR EXISTENCE?
Two elements of freedom are:
a. Voluntariness which refers to the ability of a person to act out of his or her own free will and self-determination.
This means to act or not to act, and these decisions are made out of a person’s free will (his/her choice to do or not
do). Is submission or non-submission of answers to module’s activities a voluntary act? Is getting pregnant while
being a minor or pouring out efforts in studying first to achieve your goal, a voluntary act? In making a choice, are
you using your freedom? Now, are you ready for the consequences? Getting a failing grade for non-submission or
experiencing hardships of being a teen mother to a child can be the consequences. See, actions are voluntary but do
result into positive or negative consequences!
b. Responsibility or accountability refers to the person being accountable for his or her actions and their
consequences. Remember, when you decide to take action, this results in a certain consequence. All human actions
have consequences, and affect not only the person who commits the action, but also other people around you. Taking
responsibility can either mean a person voluntarily taking responsibility for his or her own actions, or being held
responsible by other people. Will your parents be happy seeing you heavily pregnant when they toil day and night to
send you to school and see you getting your diploma and goals in life first?

A. Aristotle: The Power of Volition

The imperative quality of a judgment of practical intellect is meaningless, apart from will. Reason can
legislate, but only through will can its legislation be translated into action. The task of practical intellect is to guide
will by enlightening it. Will, in fact, is to be understood wholly in terms of intellect. If there were no intellect, there
would be no will. This is obvious from the way in which will is rationally denominated.
The will of humanity is an instrument of free choice. It is within the power of everyone to be good or bad,
worthy or worthless. This is borne out by:
• our inner awareness of an aptitude to do right or wrong;
• the common testimony of all human beings;
• the rewards and punishment of rulers; and
• the general employment of praise and blame.
Moral acts, which are always particular acts, are in our power and we are responsible for them. Character or
habit is no excuse for immoral conduct. Attending class is a student’s responsibility. Should the student cut class, then
he/she is responsible for the consequences of his actions. As a result, he/she must be held responsible for any accident
or failure in grades that will befall on him/her. The student may regret what he/she had done, but all the regrets in the
world will not call it back. The point is the student should not have cut class in the first instance. When the matter is
sifted down, the happiness of every human being’s soul is in his own hands, to preserve and develop, or to cast away.
For Aristotle, a human being is rational. Reason is a divine characteristic. Humans have the spark of the
divine. If there were no intellect, there would be no will. Reason can legislate, but only through will can its legislation
be turned into action. Our will is an instrument of free choice. Reason, will, and action drive each other.
Note: Volition means the power or act of making a choice or decision. What you want to be, what will you do,
what preferences do you have, etc. are influenced or dictated by your volition.
B. St. Thomas Aquinas Love is Freedom Of all creatures of God, human beings have the unique power to
change themselves and the things around them for the better. St. Thomas Aquinas considers the human being as a
moral agent. The unity between both elements indeed helps us to understand our complexity as human beings. Our
spirituality separates us from animals; it delineates moral dimension of our fulfillment in an action. Through our
spirituality, we have a conscience. Whether we choose to be “good” or “evil” becomes our responsibility.
A human being, therefore, has a supernatural, transcendental destiny. This means that he can rise above his
ordinary being or self to a highest being or self. This is in line with the idea of St. Thomas that in the plan of God, a
human being has to develop and perfect himself by doing his daily tasks. Hence, if a human being perseveringly lives
a righteous and virtuous life, he transcends his mortal state of life and soars to an immortal state of life.