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What does Freedom mean to You?

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This Independence Day, we asked our members, a simple question,

What does Freedom mean to you?

We got numerous submissions, all so good.
It's amazing to see how a simple word can mean so much to each and everyone, and yet it's meaning different from person to person. 

If you don't follow us on Instagram (which you should totally do btw), here's a small glimpse of all the entries we got.

We also wanted to share, what we think, were the Top 3 entries.

And so starting with No #3, written by Suchitra Satapathy :

Freedom is an open expression of thoughts and feelings. To feel enlightened with one's thoughtful notations is what we term as freedom. The freedom to utter whatever is radiating in your mind that could satisfy your inner soul and release all the stress and thoughts conquering your mind. As humans, there's always an overflow of emotions. Voicing your thoughts and ideas to the desired host is what makes us feel the free in freedom. Freedom has a number of ways to be expressed. Some people write with their soul's ink, some people sing their hearts out, some people draw their minds in & some people listen to music and so on. Therefore, for me freedom is the state of being FEARLESS. Fearless is when you are not imprisoned by the scrunched barriers and you get the power to voice your heart out with bravery, satisfaction and love.

Following it up with No. #2, written by Amrita Bedashree :

"What freedom means to me?! "
Beyond the world confined to constraints and destinies, the mind conceives the seeds of freedom. The term 'freedom' implies a variety of meanings. For me, freedom is the way to make the right choices, while surrounded by constant external stimuli and instant gratifications. As Robert Frost puts it, "that has made all the difference". The right choice has the power to link the present with the future in a unique way, among a million possibilities. Freedom is when you find the correct choice to connect your present circumstance to your desired future. If we see the bigger picture, it might sound like an illusion, it's highly difficult to stay away from the external influence while making the choice. The human mind is like a calculator, that has a conclusion for every problem, the only difference is that there is no right or wrong answer, rather it has its ever-changing assumptions. These assumptions work as constraints while making a choice. Therefore, it is quite important to realise that our choices are not based on what society or our parents wants, rather, on the truth that we see. On realising these, we make ourselves untied to the external stimuli, waving the path for the freedom of making the right choices.
And Finally the top entry, by Amrita Srivastava:

In a nutshell, to me freedom is the right to dissent, 'BUT' due to the recent rise of anti-Semitism (and persistent racism / sexism in this country) I will add a caveat “freedom is the right to dissent when said dissension does not inflict harm on others.
Freedom to me is the ability to be yourself in your truest form. It's being able to make your own choices and control the agency over your own life. And while I know I've been privileged enough to have my own freedoms in life, I know that's not normal for many all over the world. A part of celebrating my own freedom means doing what I can to help others find their own freedom. Freedom to me means limitless opportunities and possibilities. And for everyone to have equal access to said opportunities. Freedom is a powerful, inspiring, wonderful (and often), intimidating word. To me, Freedom is the privilege of liberty and independence. But what you do with Freedom, how you choose to exercise and respect it — is what really matters. For all to feel safe in their bodies and supported in their identities is a necessity for freedom to be achieved.


If you liked these, and want to get featured in our blog/Instagram, fret not! because we hold such competitions fairly frequently. If you're a student of SOA University, feel free to contact any of our authors and become a part of a growing community of readers, poets and speakers.

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