On Liberty

The Fifth of May has come and gone, and here in The Netherlands, we celebrate liberty and freedom then.

Saving us from occupation by Nazi Germany, the Allied forces did just that back in 1945, and since then, we, and other countries, have celebrated it. A major amount of countries are experiencing freedom right now, another major amount still suffers.

But what does it mean? Liberty lets you do as one pleases, although in a govern way, while it is said that freedom is a more raw form, with extreme prejudice, anarchism and such coming along the way if unchecked.

Freedom of speech, free will and similar concepts are forms of philosophy dealing with this subject. From a world perspective, the interpretation of these and also the primary terms can vary wildly, and the discussions continue.

Liberation Day, at least for us, is also broadly meaning about remembering the victims of the wars since WWII, and being glad that we are surrounded by virtues, nationally. It's an excuse to celebrate it annually, but more importantly, to remember and learn from history.

Arguably, capitalism enslaves us with materialism and consumerism for starters, harming liberty in a way,  but since that is the zeitgeist we are living in today, it's very hard to resist it. On the other hand, we wouldn't want to see other kinds of "ism's" globally acting extremely either, such as fascism,communism and anarchism.

To be liberated is to be saved from negatives. To have freedom is to move and act as you wish, if you ask me.