You think that freedom is about being able to do whatever you want, but it is much deeper than that, according to Timothy Snyder.
Snyder is a renowned American historian and author known for his work on European history, authoritarianism, and the Holocaust.
The Holocaust was the mass murder of 6 million Jews and others by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
He wrote the book On Freedom, where he says that freedom is not political but about how you live, think, and interact with others in society.
He has looked at how free societies have crumbled into dictatorships when people stopped paying attention and got too comfortable.
The Five Pillars of Freedom According to Timothy Snyder
According to Snyder, freedom rests on five pillars, namely sovereignty, unpredictability, mobility, factuality, and solidarity.
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is not absolute control because no one can really control everything. It is about protecting enough independence to make a choice.
Freedom can’t exist if you are always at the mercy of a stronger entity, whether it be the government, a corporation, or an individual.
It requires that you have some say over what happens to you.
Unpredictability
You must live without everything being strictly planned or determined. If everything about the future is set, then you are not truly free.
Unpredictability gives you the chance to grow, change, and surprise yourself. It makes life exciting and meaningful.
Mobility
Mobility is the ability to move physically, socially, and mentally. If you are free, you are able to change your situation.
It keeps society dynamic and allows you to dream beyond your current state.
Factuality
If you can’t tell the difference between truth and lies, how can you make choices that are good for you? How can you make good decisions?
Something factual has been proven, while something real means it actually exists or happens even if there is no proof.
You become an easy target for propaganda and conspiracy theories, and that can push you into doing things that hurt yourself or others.
Solidarity
Freedom works best when everyone supports each other. Your actions affect others, and their actions affect you, too.
This is not about giving up your individuality but about understanding that if you want it to last, you need to cooperate with others.
Some Important Points Raised in On Freedom
Freedom requires responsibility, courage, and an active effort from everyone. Below are some important points raised in On Freedom.
Freedom Only Works If You Stick to the Truth
If you lie or are surrounded by lies, you can’t be free because your decisions are based on false information.
It also makes you easier to control, and where there is control, there is no freedom. Find the truth and stick to it.
You Risk Losing Freedom When You Choose Comfort Over Courage
Freedom takes guts: the guts to speak up, push back, and own your actions. If you stay quiet to avoid conflict, you give power to those doing harm.
If you stay neutral while something unfair is happening, it can seem like you are siding with the oppressor.
And when no one challenges them, the injustice just keeps going.
Being Free Means Being Responsible, Not Just Doing Anything You Want
Freedom doesn’t mean doing whatever you want. If you use it recklessly, you harm others and destroy the very system that protects it.
You must balance your rights with your duties to others. You can’t just steal your neighbor’s food because you are hungry and broke.
Laws Don’t Protect Freedom Unless Everyone Actively Cares
Freedom is written into laws, so it feels permanent. But laws are just words on paper, and those words can be changed.
You must actively defend and practice it, and then call out anyone who tries to cross the line or take it away.
Freedom Grows Stronger When Everyone Supports Each Other
Supporting others doesn’t take away your freedom. It makes it stronger because others can fight for you, and you can fight for them.
Think about the Civil Rights Movement. It didn’t succeed because of just one person. It took thousands of people working together.
Martin Luther King Jr. played a big role, but change happened because everyday people stood up, marched, organized, and spoke up.
Social Media Can Be Used to Fool You and Limit Your Choices
Social media can shape what you see and believe.
Others can use it to spread lies. Algorithms are designed to keep you engaged, so you will keep seeing those lies over and over again.
Algorithms show you the same stuff again and again because they think you like it based on your online activities.
When you are misled, you are not really choosing but simply reacting. It chips away at real freedom because the choices are not fully informed.
Forgetting the Past Makes You an Easy Target for Tyranny
When you forget history, you are more likely to repeat the same mistakes. Tyrants use that ignorance to rewrite it to serve their own purposes.
Freedom Is Not About the Absence of Constraints
Fewer rules don’t mean more freedom. If you act without responsibility, things can fall apart, and then freedom disappears.
Imagine if anyone can dominate and hurt everyone else. Where is freedom in that? You will fear meeting people because they might hurt you!
Rules are not the problem because they keep freedom going.
