[W Forum] What Is Freedom?

Published 27 Dec.2021 08:49(KST)

"People living in extreme poverty and those who have not been educated do not only fail to understand what freedom is, but also do not feel why freedom is necessary for individuals." This is a statement made by a presidential candidate who recently faced public backlash. While reading that report, I looked up the words ‘extreme poverty’ and ‘freedom’ in the dictionary. It was not because I did not know their meanings. Even without recalling the words of a philosopher who said, ‘Language is the house of being,’ thinking about the meanings and roots of words is almost a professional habit.

According to the dictionary, ‘extreme poverty’ means being very poor, and ‘freedom’ refers to a state where one is not bound by external constraints and can act according to one’s own will. Acts done freely within the bounds of the law, without being constrained by others, also fall under freedom. Freedom is both a state and a condition. Therefore, even if someone claims to be free, many are not truly free. A wealthy person who cannot give to others and just hoards money at home is not free, and someone who cannot do anything alone without subordinates to serve them like hands and feet is not a free person either. They just live under the illusion of being free.

Upon closer examination, the presidential candidate’s statement is not entirely wrong. Poverty is indeed the greatest enemy of freedom. When the candidate’s remark caused controversy, he explained that the intention was to ensure that the extremely poor have better economic conditions and access to education so that they can better appreciate the value of freedom. After reading the explanation, I felt even more uneasy. Words unconsciously reveal a person’s subconscious. Saying ‘we must make them feel it’ implies that the extremely poor in our society are those who must be taught even to feel freedom. It gave me the impression that they are viewed only as subjects to be governed.

Many concepts we know are truly understood through their absence. Only after losing love do we realize how precious it is, and only those who have experienced hunger understand the value of a single meal. Parents who work themselves to the bone but cannot afford their children’s college tuition understand the meaning of freedom better than anyone. When people are deprived of things they take for granted, everyone thinks about freedom. Freedom is not a concept to be bestowed or taught like charity. It is a fundamental condition of life that we create together.

This person, who daily creates controversies with words about illegal food, minimum wage, and job apps, once said, "I have never been able to open a housing subscription savings account because I didn’t have a home." He probably has never been without a home and therefore never truly felt the necessity of having one. He likely received ample support from affluent parents while retaking the bar exam nine times. For him, housing was an issue outside his concern, so he could not even imagine the trivial matters of ordinary people who save money by scrimping on food and clothing to put into their housing subscription savings accounts. The fact that his offhand remark became a scandal and deepened concerns even among his supporters cannot be dismissed as a simple mistake. Words are his world.

In our society, the key topics have been justice, equality, and fairness. Recently, I am grateful that the word freedom has been brought to the surface of the national consciousness. A sociologist said that the main enemies of freedom in modern society are state authorities, conglomerates, and poverty. For our society to truly become a free democracy, rational redistribution of wealth and expansion of public welfare systems are urgent. The independence of the press and judiciary, which currently flatter those in power, is also a distant task. Freedom is not a concept unknown to the uneducated and poor. Freedom is a condition of existence that every individual rightfully deserves to enjoy.