The whole movement of man's life is towards greater freedom. As a child grows
up, his dependence upon his parents and family progressively diminishes, while
his freedom and self-reliance increase all the time. The goal of life seems to be
headed in the direction of complete liberty. But what do we understand by the
word 'freedom'? Freedom only means the capability of self-government. For the
highest function of freedom is to make us capable of governing ourselves.
Nietzsche says, "He who cannot obey himself will be commanded." Freedom
does not mean liberty to do anything that one pleases. Freedom has no meaning
without responsibility, for only the responsible can be truly free for nothing is
liable to a greater abuse than freedom.
2. All development is a process whereby we learn how to make the right
choices. Hence, it won't be far from truth to say that all values are created in
freedom. And what, one may ask, is the purpose of freedom? The purpose of
freedom is only one - it is perfection. " The entire process of time and
development is from the less to the more perfect, whether it be in moral,
ethical, physical, mental or spiritual perfection. Freedom is the necessary
condition in which the ideal of perfection may be realised. Complete freedom
of choice means complete freedom to do what you want to do - and is the
only means to self - realization. The fully realised being is the highest ideal,
not only because he fulfils himself, but also because being fully realised, he
helps others to achieve their true potential. Mill says, " In proportion to the
development of his individuality, each person becomes more valuable to
himself and is, therefore, more capable of being more valuable to others."
3. Freedom, rather than meaning unrestricted licence, means total self-discipline, for
discipline alone gives us freedom. Discipline is the means of achieving that which a
free mind has evolved. Discipline is not an obstruction to freedom, but a passage to
it, for the more disciplined you are, the more free you are to do that which you desire.
And discipline must be imposed upon you if you cannot discipline yourself. Disciplinemeans order while freedom may exist in chaos. And nothing worthwhile can be
achieved where there is disorder and anarchy. Chaos has nopower to effect anything worthwhile. So, give up all ideas you may have that
freedom meant doing anything that you fancy, for if you fancy disorder, you
are not free, but bound. Know that only he has liberty who has control. Only
he has speed, who has brakes. Only he must fly, who can land. Only he must
start, who can stop. Liberty without control is like a car without brakes. It will
crash. Freedom has no meaning to achieve the objectives of humanity.
Q. Write a summary of the passage based on your notes in about 80 words.
Answers
Answer:
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer each of the questions given
below with the help of options that follow:
(a) According to Nietzsche, the true meaning of the word 'freedom' is
(i) the capability of self-governance (ii) ability to be commanded
(iii) liberty to do anything one pleases (iv) taking responsibility
(b) a self-reliant man is of great value because
(i) he fulfils himself (ii) he helps others to achieve perfection
(iii) he is perfect in himself (iv) he is a role model for others
(c) the purpose of freedom is
(i) to achieve perfection
(ii) to move from more perfection to less perfection
(iii) to grow mentally and physically strong
(iv) all of the above
(d) According to the writer, discipline means
(i) an obstruction to freedom (ii) order in a chaotic situation
(iii) anything worthwhile (iv) a state of anarchy
Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:
(e) What does the writer want to illustrate by using the example of the child in the first
paragraph?
(f) According to the writer, what is the misconception that people have about the meaning of
freedom?
(g) According to the writer who is a truly developed soul?
(h) How does discipline affect diffused energy?
(i) How can we define development?
(j) What similarity does the writer draw between liberty and a car?
(k) Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i)misuse/mishandling (pare 1)
(ii) disorder/chaos (pare 3)
Explanation:
ANSWERS:-
(a) (i); (b) (ii); (c) (i); (d) (ii)
(e) The child's example is used as an illustration of how a person is moving towards greater independence. A newborn child is totally dependent nor food, safety, security etc. on his / her parents. But as he/she rises, the propensity to become more independent is growing.
(f) That, freedom means the right to do what we want, is a misconception. Absolute self-discipline, however, offers true independence.
(g) A truly developed soul is one who fulfills himself and also helps others achieve their true potential, as well.
(h) Discipline can focus on diffused energy, thus making it useful.
(i) Development is defined as the learning process to make the correct choices.
(j) The author compares freedom to cars without brakes hat cannot be controlled. That implies if freedom is the car, the discipline is the only safe way to drive it.
(k) (i) abuse (ii) anarchy