Rose Marie N.

Hermosa BSA 2 – Block 1

Mr. Jechoniah Val P. Melgar TTh (12:00 – 1:30 PM)

Good Freedom
Lay Person that exemplify good freedom

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi

Reason: He is widely recognized as one of the twentieth century’s greatest political and spiritual
leaders. Honored in India as the father of the nation, he pioneered and practiced the principle of
Satyagraha—resistance to tyranny through mass nonviolent civil disobedience. Gandhi supremely
applied the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience, playing a key role in freeing India from
foreign domination. He was often imprisoned for his actions, sometimes for years, but he
accomplished his aim in 1947, when India gained its independence from Britain.

Example: Salt March, also known as the Dandi Movement, Gandhi's Salt March is considered to
be a pivotal incident in the history of freedom struggle. At the Calcutta Congress of 1928, Gandhi
declared that the British must grant India dominion status or the country will erupt into a revolution
for complete independence. The British did not pay heed to this. As a result, on December 31,
1929, the Indian flag was unfurled in Lahore and the next January 26 was celebrated as the Indian
Independence Day. Then, Gandhi started a Satyagraha campaign against the salt tax in March
1930. He marched 388 kilometers from Ahmedabad to Dandi in Gujarat to make salt. Thousands
of people joined him and made it one of the biggest marches in Indian history.

Message: “Freedom is not worth if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes”. This quote
of Gandhi is somewhat associated with one of the definitions of freedom that we discussed in our
ReEd class, which is perfective of the individual. We cannot elude the fact that everyday we
exercise our freedom and the most integral part of it is our ability to make choices. A choice can
be good or bad, that’s why we can say that making mistakes is indispensable nature of freedom.
Thus, our free choices and actions gradually form our freedom whether right or wrong because
ultimately, our actions reveal who we are.
Nevertheless, Mahatma Gandhi ways of attaining freedom is the greatest discovery - that non-
violence was a key organizing principle that anybody could use in almost any situation. Gandhi's
teachings are convincing, consistent, and coherent. I really adore his wisdom and one of my
favorite quotes from him is “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of
others”.

Religious sector who discussed freedom

Answer: Pope John Paul II

Reason: John Paul II achieved a unique and profound synthesis of the dignity of the human person
and those freedoms inherent in our humanity. As our Universal Pastor, he taught us that freedom
is inherent in our very humanity, as our own Declaration of Independence boldly proclaims.
Human freedom has to do with the transcendent dignity of the human being. We are created in
God’s image and likeness and called to friendship with him.

Example: John Paul II seized upon the independence proper to the Church and traveled the globe
proclaiming the Gospel. Throughout his life, John Paul II inspired new generations to follow
Christ. We have only to think of his boldness in starting up World Youth Day when many advisers
told him that such an idea wouldn’t work. We have only to think of the millions upon millions of
young people who came to be with him in Denver, Manila, Paris, Rome, and Toronto. How many
young people found authentic freedom because of this man who preached the Gospel full throated
and unsparingly, without fear, without hesitation, indeed without counting the cost. Pope John Paul
II proclaimed these Gospel values and supported authentic freedom around the world even in
countries that were overtly hostile to that message.

Message: “When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about
the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of
conscience, it turns against humanity and society”. This quote from Pope John Paul II, is reflected
in one of the definitions of freedom that we discussed in our ReEd class, that is community
oriented. As freedom pertains to our free choices, this may also at the same time affect other
individuals. It is vital that when we exercise our personal freedom, it must not violate the freedom
of others. A responsible using of freedom is always shared with others in the community such that
you consider the feelings of individuals, taking into the account the laws imposed in the society
and always seeking for the good of humanity.

Another promising message of Pope John Paul II is, “Freedom is not the ability to do anything we
want, whenever we want. Rather, freedom is the ability to live responsibly the truth of our
relationship with God and with one another”. I have taken this quote from the PowerPoint
presented by our teacher. This is as well related to our class discussion of freedom, particularly
one of the aspects of freedom – “for” which means for image and likeness of God. God’s love for
us is so immense that he doesn’t force us to always do what’s right. Instead, he wants us to act
upon good when both good and evil are presented to us. A true freedom is always aiming for what
is pleasing to God, although it entails effort and sacrifice which eventually will give peace in our
hearts. In fact, this is for our own good, to evade reckless exercise of freedom which leads us to
destruction. Thus, to achieve true freedom we should always seeking for the greater glory of God
to be guided accordingly.