Is Freedom, a Right?

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Take the constitution of any country and you are certain to find, freedom of blah, blah, blah in the fundamental rights sections of it. Freedom of equality, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of occupation, freedom of religion and a hell lot of freedoms, just to fill up the pages, so that the book looks big and scary. Are all these just rights? Well, before answering the question, we need to know what freedom and right are.

I turned the pages of a web dictionary to find the literal meanings. For freedom, i had two hits. "The condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints" and "Immunity from an obligation or duty". For right, i had many, so just using the relevant one. "An abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature". All these meaning confuse me. I will go with mine. Freedom, is to do something at will and right is entitlement to. I don't think, I'm sounding scary. Now, tell me. Is Freedom, just a right. Entitlement to Freedom, does not mean that we are free.

How many religious nations practice secularism? How many military regimes, let alone governments, let you voice your thoughts? How many politicians, let you vote independently? And, of course, all these are listed as rights in the constitution of every nation.

Can a women, walk alone in the street at midnight, without any concerns about her safety? Can a negro raise to power, without being bullied by the colour of his skin? Can you practice Hinduism in Pakistan, Islam in Great Britain and Christianity in Indonesia? Will a black man treated the same as a whit one? All citizens of a country, irrespective of anything, but being human, are entitled to these rights. Do they enjoy these rights. Do they have freedom? In literal sense, YES. In reality, NO.

Freedom, is not just a right. It is a feeling. It must be felt by each and every individual by himself. Writing page upon page in the book of constitution does not mean that you have freedom, you must feel it. So, feel the freedom, enjoy it and preserve it. When it is not allowed to be felt, fight for it.

Freedom, is just like love. The more you feel, the more you have. Feel free, to be free.

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