Why is freedom so important?

Question: Why is freedom so important!?

This is a question A FRIEND posed to me that I would like to pose to you:

Why is a society where a huge totalitarian central government knows everything, controls everything, and where no one has any personal freedom a bad thing!? After all, it wouldn't be unethical if everyone's happy, and production of knowledge and usable material would increase a thousandfold if everything was managed centrally!. No opinions, no crime, and you could concentrate research on exactly what was needed!.

Not my idea!.!.!. What do you think!?
also, I'm looking for responses that think outside of the box!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I have asked myself this question, friend, and I cannot come to a logical conclusion!.

The reason for this is that, although freedom is not necessary for progress, yes, even a roadblock for progress, it is something human beings chase after!.

It is the ultimate luxury!. How many times have you heard "We may be going hungry, but at least we call nobody master!." And then there is the mysterious "Liberty or Death!" battle cry that is so endearing, but not exactly rational!. Would we die before calling someone else master, before serving someone else!? Would we rather own our own shack than be a servant in a mansion!?

The thing is, the majority of us would, and we don't know why!. It isn't rational, it can't be a gift from evolution!. Could something that would lead us to our deaths and does not further our species' survival be a natural instinct!? It would seem as though nature would not play such a trick, yet it somehow has!.

Humans abhor the idea of slavery, but is it really so bad!?

I would have to answer "Yes!."

It is horrible, but I cannot tell you why!. I love freedom with no actual reason or end, even being aware that it serves no purpose!. It is so satisfying, and I would, without question, give my life defending it!.

It is some sort of man-made assurance that we will not progress too quickly!. It is an opium of sorts!. It will ultimately destroy us, but the sweet taste of it is so damn irresistible!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Freedom isn't important, it's just relevant!. Nobody likes it when they are being told that they can't do something!. No freedom then revolution begins and chaos starts, total freedom then it's pure chaos, some freedom then theres some chaos but slight control and reasoning!. It's human nature to fight, control, and act on impulse!. Not everyone thinks with logic they think with emotion and human emotion isn't pretty when under stress!. Freedom is demanded by everyone but who is stupid enough to say anyone can do anything at anytime!? Control = Peaceful!. Some people cannot take peace for they need of chaos, they need balance they need everything to be interesting!. The only way total control can be obtained is if we weren't human!. So why is freedom so important!? Because people need chaos out of the selfishness that is the human race!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

IF such a thing could exist, it wouldn't be a bad thing!. That was actually Plato's ideal state, if I recall correctly!.

But, governments are run by people, and as history shows, give people power with no accountability and they'll abuse it!. The Soviet Union was in theory going to be such a place, and look how that turned out!.

Freedom is important because people can't be trusted to be absolutely honest, so we need to counterbalance each other and take control of, and responsibility for, our own lives!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Ones answer is not the answer for all!. The society would be boring, no different cultures, ideas, beliefs, etc!. Just because the world is a combination of a different kind of everything imaginable, doesn't mean that it ALL will have conflict!. I would rather want to experience all of the colors of the rainbow, than just the one color!. Think about it!.!.!.!.we would all die for our "Freedom" in one way or another!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sorry to inform your friend but!.!.!. an omnipresent or eternal state of happiness can NEVER be achieved, physically or conceptually!. There's no way you could eliminate all the "evil" in the world!. It is the way that humans are wired and it is the way that the world works (I mean how could their be mountains without valleys!?!?)!. Therefore, there would be no way of engineering a society that could achieve such a feat :) There would inevitably be unrest amoung the people because people would want to peruse such pleasures!.!.!.
So, it follows that we, as humans, need 2 feel that we can indeed control our actions so that we can try to attain what we believe would give us a sense of happiness in this world where we are confronted with many iniquities!. We need freedom because a world without the freedom to act will never satisfy all our the emotions, drives and desires that stir within us!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The presumption is that things would be MORE efficient if centrally planned, but human experience is that things are LESS efficient if everything is centrally planned!. Corruption gets in the way, of course, but also imperfect information leads to bad centralized decisions!. Millions of people doing what they want ends up making better decisions than a central planner!.

Plus its fun!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com

Many people think just because we all have a socialist lifestyle it would disperse the money equally among all people leaving nobody with excessive money!. Wrong there are wealthy politicians lining their pocket in those societies!. So why shouldn't we have the opportunity to try to achieve the dream like they have!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well you don't wanna be locked up in a cage right!? Freedom is so better, lol (BTW I didn't read it XD)

answer mine!?
http://answers!.yahoo!.com/question/index!?!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

freedom isnt important!. The ILLUSION of freedom is important!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Freedom is important because it allows you to question it freely like you are doing it now!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

because without freedom you cannot become what you want and fulfill your dreams!. without dreams there are no ideas and nothing happens!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Sounds wonderful!? Sounds like prison or slavery to me!.

Some people thrive in an environment where they are under total control!. I'm not one of them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

and who runs this totalitarian central government!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

people don't work hard for the "good of society" they work hard to reach a goal!. besides that'd be wrong!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

because confinement and inabilty to express oneself makes human beings go insaneWww@QuestionHome@Com

So you'd just take the blue pill huh!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because humans arent meant to be caged (at least some of us arent)!. We are designed to have free will!. And no, im not some religious nut saying this, I dont even believe in god!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

get a new friend that is not a hitler wannabeWww@QuestionHome@Com

Are you ******* kidding me!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well technically we don't have complete freedom in the United States(if that is the country you are referring to that is), we are forced (most of us) to do a job we don't like or live in a shelter or some project or something with a poor quality of life!. or we are forced to get job training/school and either way we are exhausted when we get home!. We may have the freedom to say what we want (for the most part) and go where we want but we are prisoners of the economic system!. now with central planning, there has historically been a problem, nature itself pushes against everyone being equal, not everyone has the ability to work, true Marxist communism has never been achieved and unless technology increases to the point where machines can do all the work (probably not for thousands of years) and there is no scarcity at all, then it might be possible, but even then nature has its way of forking things like that up because in nature things have never been what we would consider to be "fair"!. also as far as there being no crime, there would have to practically be chips put in people's heads controlling their minds to stop them or something just as drastic because no matter how many cameras there are some people just don't care, also we would have to eliminate anger somehow through technology because some crimes aren't economic, they're emotionally driven!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

" I'm looking for responses that think outside of the box"

What you are saying is you are looking for responses that are in agreement with the way you think!. Have you ever lived in a truly totalitarian country !?
How about Iraq before the war!. Were they happy !? Granted they were probably happier before the war than now but it was not a picture of all that happy and good!.

I believe from the way you are talking you have become what people with free minds refer to as "sheeple" !. Meaning you sit dazed by the TV absorbing everything you are told to do!.

Have you ever signed a petition, wrote a letter to the government or protested something you don't believe is right !? Probably not because you have been trained to think that people who do things like that have a loose screw and wear tie die shirts!.

Do people who take no action even have a Right to complain to anyone anywhere !?

That is what they want, stay calm on your couch , get a new credit card go shopping and let us monitor what you buy so we can put you in more debt and you live as a slave and follow the heard as you are told!.

If you believe the world should run this way send a letter to your politician and stand outside with a sign the politicians will invite you to dinner and your neighbors will chase you with pitchforks!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

how can someone be truly happy if another person is commanding them to be happy!? control isnt happiness!. just ask any wife whose in an abusive relationship!. they want out! I for one wouldn't want a controlled government telling me when to be happy!. what if you wanted to have a bad day!? that wouldnt be okay!Www@QuestionHome@Com