Freeeeeeeeeeedooooooooom!!!!!!!!!!!

So I was singing the "Star Spangled Banner" in the shower the other night and I began to think about the definition of the word "freedom."

What is "freedom"?

I think there is many kinds of freedom. There's freedom in the Mel Gibson-Braveheart kind of way. The kind of freedom that Hollywood and over-zealous war veterans exhort to us can only be bought through the blood of countless heroes. The kind of freedom that can only come from countless mortally-wounded patriots raising a flag on some God-forgotten piece of terra.

This time of year, the word "freedom" might illicit thoughts of Spring days and Summer Vacation. Of bikini's and Disney World. Of our days starting at noon and dinners cooked to order by our mothers.

There's the freedom that can only be described as that feeling you get after you step out of the classroom after having taken that huge test that was dragging you down like a tire-iron tied to your neck. For better or worse, you're done.

Only slightly less serious, is that feeling of freedom that comes after the really hot girl (or guy, I guess) you've been suffering through a terribly anxious conversation with leaves because you've got really bad gas. (One of my residents told me that's why he always "walks and talks"...)

Now that we've delineated all these different forms of freedom, what do they mean? I mean, what does it really mean to be free? Can total freedom ever truly exist?

I was watching an episode of "Da Ali G" with some of my residents when he pulls out one of his alter-egos, "the gay guy". And of course, he goes to "the gayest place in the world... Alabama!" After a few hi-jinx including: cheering in leather pants and a pink mesh shirt with the Crimson Tide cheerleaders at a football game, interviewing a football player and asking him what messages he has for his "huge gay following in Amsterdam", and nearly inciting mob-violence from some extra homophobic Alabamans, he decided to go to the "Patriotism Convention."

His first interview was with an older man who had some choice words to say about the U.S. Government being all up in his business. He said that he believed in "freedom".

So, to that Ali G says: "Vell, en my country, freedoms mean zat I can valk hands-en-hands vith my boyfriend, Armando, downs ze street and nots have to sthink a sing abouts et."

The Patriot basically begins to go off on Ali G and basically makes more of an ass of himself than the viewer thought him before... if that was possible. But this all begs the question, "isn't one man's freedom, another man's oppression?"

Take religion, for instance. We have freedom of religion here in America, but do we always enjoy freedom from it? Prayer in schools is such a sticky subject. Its like Christians automatically have the moral high-road on this just because they're Christians. I'm sorry, but I'm not so sure I agree. Just because prayer is a good thing, doesn't always mean its a good thing. I know people who pray for the extermination of all the Muslim traitors to the faith. Am I the only one weirded out by that?

Here on this campus, which I DO LOVE, I can't go a week, without having my breakfast, lunch or dinner interrupted by some crazy Antioch freak witnessing to me. Don't get me wrong, I respect them for having the guts to risk the annoyance of so many to possibly reach a few, but don't they realize that they're causing some people some real and honest discomfort? I mean, the reason many of these people get away with this is because they know that if someone kicks them out, they're going to feel like a modern Anti-Christ. Also, in more than a couple of the Sub-Way sermons I've heard, the speaker uses nothing but guilt-trips and soft deceits stemming from irresponsible shot-gunning of scripture verses here and there. Maybe I'm a little conservative, but I think that using verses purposefully out of context just to prove a point and take advantage of someone else's ignorance is blasphemy.

But I digress...

What is freedom? Is there really freedom with Christ? I mean, isn't it true that when we decide to become followers of Christ, we choose to amend our ways of thinking and being to that of his? Yeah, the uber-liberal Christian would pull out the Gospel reading where Jesus talks about the "Ass and the well." (why does Chad and Mark always come to mind when someone mentions that?) Anyways, no Christian can deny that we are giving up some real "freedoms" when we decide to follow Christ. There are options that are not now, well, options to us anymore.

So what freedom do we, really have? I mean, C'mon, lets break it down to the basics. When you really think about it all we really have is the freedom of choice. Christianity vs. Buddhism. Baylor vs. Bradley. Count Chocula vs. Lucky Charms. Okay, so we all know that Count Chocula sucks and anyone with a brain in their head is going to choose Lucky Charms. But my point is that you DO have that choice. Even if the choice is "smart" vs. "incredibly stupid", you have that choice! Ya feel me, dog?

So that's it. That's freedom? Everything else is an illusion? Or merely nothing more than a bunch of societal constructs made up of tiny morsels of "yes or no" choices?

Hmmph. Sounds good. Now that I've exercised my brain, I'm going to go play some basketball, or will it be raquetball?