Freedom (n.) “power of self-determination, state of free will; emancipation from slavery, deliverance;” “exemption from arbitrary or despotic control, civil, liberty”

— Etymonline.com, 2025

Freedom in its true form is an idea sown in the fabric of the imagination and adopted in the mind. The world has been unpackaging this idea since our existence. Considering the nature of how we spend our time between social media, television, the internet, and cell phones, do human beings have free agency and will? How does a person begin to know what freedom looks like if they have never experienced it? For the sake of this conversation, the focus on the idea of freedom at its core is an invisible force within the mind.

Cultures and societies have built paradigms that live within the confines of walls and boxes that have enslaved our minds, and by default control of the body. The mind is the commander of the body. If freedom is an idea and something sought after among all generations, and in the free society we live in, should more people not be living the lives they would love? There are underlying intangible forces that are manipulating and keeping the minds and emotions of people at bay. Freedom is a human right, but one that must be chosen every day.

It is only when courage surfaces and we can ask ourselves better questions that truth will reveal itself. The ability to have influence over our thoughts is a skill that needs to be in constant practice. Freedom is the door of liberation that few walk through. This door is meant for the individual who is willing to take their life back and is made for them alone to open.

Responsibility and ownership are on the other side of the door, and sometimes it is just easier to stay where mediocrity and complacency comfort us. To understand what we are as human beings is what our predecessors had the courage to fight for. The human soul seeks freedom for us mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. On the contrary, our freedoms are also being bargained against by parties that want to keep us enslaved so that we can be controlled.

This is the modern world we live in today. With the power of self-determination and free will, deliverance can free the souls of those who seek this freedom. What is inside of us is also inside of our neighbors and should be protected at all costs. Some of us are put here on this planet to offer influence and guidance for those who do not possess it yet. The conversation is the place where we live and dwell, and freedom starts first within the confines of this residency. With bravery, you can set yourself free.

Letroy Woods can be reached at Letroywoods@gmail.com.