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What do you'll view as the greatest symbol of freedom?

Is it a symbol such as the World Trade centre, is is more artistic such as the Statue of liberty, is it spirtual like the Buddha, is it the voting booth? A person, the face of MLK? Relgious tolerance? Sexual freedom? I appreciate some of these are harder to symbolise

Or is it something which symbolises a variety of freedoms such as the Amercian Flag, or maybe the British

I have been thinking about this for a couple of hours and am genuinly stuck??

It is really a touch question to ask, but I would love to hear your opinions, i think it could be quite interesting.

freedom is bull shit...there is no freedom in my opinion.

please go on

why do you think there is no freedom

well in my opinion...

nature gave us the elements...and most are all on sale...for example...water...i think water should be free its nature given. and i dont believe in money...we should go back to the barter system...trading things..

actually i dunnno what im saying im a bit tired at this moment

... in my opinion, that represents rather the contrary of freedom flags mean being bound, to opinions, customs, laws, regions, political ideas, whatever; and especially national flags kinda hurt the greatest freedoms, like individuality, choice and independance

The typical symbol for freedom is imo a bird... not an eagle or some other proud and as symbols selfoverestimating bird, but just a normal, free bird, being able to fly away, take off and leave... or wings in general, they represent everything that is for me connected to freedom.

once again, in my opinion nothing is free...not even a bird. it has enemies...it has predators...it gets eaten...it loses the freedom of not getting eaten

ok im too tired..i hope that made sense

It does make sense, and I also agree with that; I don't believe in real freedom, it just - can't work.
That's why I was not saying that birds are free, but just that wings are symbols of freedom, which imo they are, regardless of the fact that for their owners they don't really mean freedom but just a lot more possibilites to be eaten...

indeed mmm exabyte you are right the greatest symbol of freedom is not a flag, nor anything bearing one.

That is all I can tell you because there is nothing truely free. All things are in danger or constrained.


Speaking personally, sleep is the most liberationg ting in the world, though it does have to end

Real freedom could work; in a utopia Wished I lived in one

In any sort of society, utopian or not, there have to be rules. In fact, you'd probably be less free in a utopea than in other places, since a perfect society couldn't spring up without strict regulation.

Freedom, the way people seem to be defining it here, would be nothing less than anarky. God save us from such freedom.

A "utopia" means a "no place" ie somewhere so idealised that it cannot possibly exist - within reality cry

The greatest symbol of freedom to me is to have a choice wetter it is about elections/voting or everyday ordinary decisions.

That is conceptually stretching 'freedom' into a reductio ad absurdum. By implication, by being 'free', then, it would lose the freedom to be hunted, and eaten.

there is no freedom

to use symols as an interpretation of freedom is absolutely ludicrous and in some sense beyond comprehension...if one must use such an artifice to symbolize and abstract invention is deluding themselves...

freedom is not about choice or lack thereof, nor is it about one's rights or moral standing...freedom like hope is anathema to each and every individual...realistically, the two can be somewhat be liken to sand grasped in ones hands, yet eventually it will inevitably slip between our fingers...

the greatest symbol if one must need one to represent freedom is: denial...

I wish I could give credit where it is due, however the speaker escapes me.

"You are free to do whatever they let you do."

There is no such thing as freedom. Should true freedom exist, we would have anarchy. And we all know that anarchy cannot thrive as a form of general form of existance... look at the "Do What You Feel Like" Episode of the Simpsons.

Anarchy is a good idea, but there are too many bad intentions in the human mind to allow nothing to go unpunished. And freedom can not exist unless everything is permitted. A vicious cycle, if you will.

Papa John's Pizza....with all 3 dipping sauces!

I stand corrected.

OOooh yeah!

The closest thing to real freedom? Flying a kite on a beach on a sunny day with your kids.

the sea is freedom.. that's the only place you can really get away from it all

Yeah, I'd been meaning to put the shot of the Pacific at the end of the Shawshank Redemption.

greatest symbol of freedom - Art.

From a political perspective, even under oppression - art flourishes. From a philosophical perspective, art is a symbol that we are evolving as a species. From a personal perspective - it's the one part of my life that is wholly mine that i can always escape to.

art isnt free...some artists during their time periods were FORCED to draw certain things...for instince...(i forgot which period of time) but these certain artists were ONLY allowed to paint the rich and high class. so they couldn't paint anything besides that...

Holy shit! That's my favourite image from a movie! I've just finished watching the Shawshank Redemption for the umpteenth time and feel like filling up! And I'm a guy!

You've failed to understand my point so spectacularly I hardly know where to begin. For one thing we are talking about symbolism (see topic thread) for another it's my personal view and thus find the statement "art isnt free" to be baffling, not to mention quite nonsensical.

However - to take your comment at its face value...

Yes, Artists through the ages have been forced through poverty and religious/political oppression to create things that go against their nature.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was forced against his will to paint the Sistine chapel - do you think that devalues it's significance as a work of art? Can you say categorically that he hated every moment and that he wasn't inspired as he worked?

People like Vermeer and Holbein placed all sort s of hidden meanings within there work, so that while remaining palatable to the public and the people who commissioned them it still spoke of there darker secrets & desires. Freedom even under the yoke - thats what art gives.

Moral of the story?

As Peter Falk says in Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter:

"Kid, life is a shitstorm, and when it's raining shit, there's no umbrella like art."

i didn't fail to understand your point. i understood your point clearly. you just assumed i didn't...i just stated another fact in the art aspect.

I think freedom is more of a feeling than a symbol. I suppose some symbols can stand for places that are supposed to be freer-in what you can say and what you can do-than others, but is it freedom? People come to the US from all over the world because American society seems freer to them. But is it really free? I believe it is...if you have enough money to buy that feeling of freedom. I certainly don't feel free, and I don't feel the US is the bastion of freedom I was taught in grade school that it was, so symbols like the American flag or the Statue of Liberty don't represent freedom, anymore, to me. I'm feeling very soap-boxy now so I'm going to stop.

I agree with you ChinaNiki in the point that the whole concept in a land of freedom these days is mostly dependent on how much money is in your pocket. I'm fairly happy with my own level of freedom at the moment and there are people in other countries in far worse situations than me. Although we are all free to an extent. At least free to decide our own actions.

"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."

"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you."

- Jean-Paul Sartre

Freedom to worship!!! Most take that for granted, but if you see how other countrys it's taken from them, you would see how awesome that is.

Although I agree that true "freedom" doesn't exist, the closest thing to it, to me at least, is like Zen... It's hard to describe, but the Japanese call it "kensho"... It's sort of like a natural high Other Buddhist sects try to achieve enlightenment through hours of meditation... Followers of Zen believe in a much simpler form of enlightenment, and one that isn't necessarily lasting. There's a book called "Zen and the art of motorcycle riding," which best describes it to me. If you can imagine doing something that you love doing, and getting so engrossed in it that you have an out-of-body kind of experience, that's the closest thing to freedom for me. I hope I explained that well enough...

if we live in some state system, we don't have freedom even we think that we have. politicians make decisions instead us...

Hippies protesting is the greatest symbol of freedom. Because, if it were up to me, they'd get bulldozed off of the street for blocking traffic, douches.

I would do the bulldozen if I could. Greatest symbol of freedom = Pizza. Seriously, you can make your pizza and put whatever you want on it

I see! sure phinney

Greatest Symbol of Freedom on Earth=Canada

Nude women are the symbol of freedom for me. Great sight.

Freedom within limits. Everything is contained within its boundaries. This is how it must be, so we are never truly free.

Freedom is not truly there we are free to move about but we are bound to the limits of our bodies. Freedom is all a matter of percepton we are bound in captivity to the laws of nature there fore we arent free but we can change those laws by changing our setting it is more so a matter of Option and State of mind for Example a caged bird on would argue isnt free but would the Bird rather be Free from danger not have to hunt for his food have a much better chance of living then be sent out to the wild to fend for himself You Can choose

You ripped that off Dont Rip it off Get it?

true freedom I think is something that is dangerous.. if we had true freedom, we could go out and kill people without consequence... so then I suppose there would be moral freedom (the kind that you're talking about) and immoral freedom (which is what most people call 'freedom').. to answer your question in regards to the freedom you speak of... I think the bald eagle is a nice representation of freedom.. as flying is most often related to feeling free

What the hell are you talking about? 1. Can you prove it? and 2. No, I did not rip it off from anyone.

NO GRRR... The Every time umaster bate

Freedom can not be given just one symbol, because freedom is to great for that. Also there are differnt kinds of freedom... and freedom means something different to each person

Ripped it off from who? What, you want me to post where I got the picture from? I did take an existing picture and edited it, but it's not like it's copyrighted material. It's public domain, and I'll do what I want with it. Who cares? Don't get your panties in a bunch.

No some on in the Fourm Has that as their SIG In SPIDERMAN i dont wear panties neither dose ur mom But lets get off mom cause i just got off of yours KARMA! JIM ROME RULES ALL

But if we should pick a symbol ableit the difficulties this ikon is submerged in, it would have to be the symbol of peace from the hippie people. You know the 3-forked circle.

I don't even go to the Spiderman forum anymore, so I wouldn't know, and your spelling sucks man. "Yo mama" jokes are really old too. Why don't you try being creative?

I think the film 'the haunted mansion" is the greatest symbol of freedom. I mean where else can you have the freedom to make such a peice of shit?

Thats a good one I like that I know its old But so is a 1953 corvette its just called RARE So my mama Jokes ARE RARE and a collecters item .MACK:.

I think if your an Iraqi or an Afgan the greatest symbol of freedom is the United States flag in flames and I can't say I disagree with their logic.

Why do you even care what my sig is? Grow a sack and stop b/itching.

No offence, but I'd rather live in Virginia!

Yeah thats not their fault, they live under rocks, or in huts of mud. Well i guess our bombs took out those huts of mud, so they just live under rocks now.

I think the greatest symbol of freedom for an American is seeing an Iraqi doused in gasoline and lit aflame with an American flag. Oh wait no,thats just what they deserve.

excuse me? how the f**k can u say that? maybe u deserve it more than anyone, but i'd never wish that on another human being.

What? i mean you can put them out after a while. they dont have to burn continuously, that would just be morbid to do to another person.

WAt the hell are we TALKING about GET on ****ING TOPIC! DAMNIT you Sound Like a bunch of KIDS the first page is good NOW NO more burning flags in a fourm OK .MACK:.

maybe someone should smack u for getting involved hehe...kidding

seriously though, i dont believe there are any true symbols of freedom, we live in a world full of racism, intolerance and hatred, until we get that sorted i dont think therell be any real freedom.

the mind symbolises freedom, cant be taken away, you can do nething you want with it... its the only thing we have complete control over

I will burn as many flags as i want thank you very much. Burning flags is my right as an American. Yeah there you go. Burning flags. that is a good symbol of freedom for America. Yeah you shouldnt burn them, but you can because your free.

no because you have to have a permit to burn things in your garden dont you, and i doubt ud want to burn it inside your house, and you couldnt do it in public because its called arson

so really, u dont have a clue haha!

Life is freedom. anyone can do whatever they want at any given momment. you may get kileld or punished for it, but you can still do it. Everyone has freedom of choice. aside from life and christ, this was the greatest gift God ever gave man. Just because there are laws prohibiting certain things, doesnt mean there is freedom. there has to be laws, there has to be order in the world. this is just the controll of freedoms that a census deems necessary mixed with biased opininated morales. I know there are people born or forced into shitty situations where there is no such thing as freedom, that is irrelevant though.No matter how many humans try and control and take away freedom,it will always be there, but with a price.

you actually spent time wading through that sarcastic bullshit to come up with a serious remark. WOW your special

yes, but is there ever real freedom without consequence?

complete freedom? no, not in todays societies. Maybe different parts of the world somewhere in a valley hidden from man.

Ask yourself though, would you want complete and utter freedom to be introduced into a world like today? there has to be some kind of order. If everyone had freedom of choice without consequence, would you want to leave your house? Would life be as full without consequences?

wading? not like it was hard to read and reply to...
i will agree with you that it was bullshit tho lol

you sure is a sharp one aint ya.

of course not

to be honest the only freedoms i really want are economic freedom i.e. being able to afford to live my life the way i want to, and also racial and discriminatory freedom, so people accept each other as people, not white, black, asian, latino etc., just treat each other the same, it wouldnt be total freedom but it would be a start

you do have that economic freedom. It's up to you to exercise it.

No one is telling you you can't work hard to make money. No one said you can't go to school to further educate yourself in life.

The sky is the limit...it's up to you to use your potential.

i cant go to college unless i pay for it, i cant get a house unless i get a really good job, i cant get a good job because i havent been to college, its a vicious circle for a lot of people. It is ireland after all.

it is freedom for some people, just not everyone.

you get what you make out of life. So what...things weren't handed to you. Becoming financially "rich" has never been easy...

So what if you don't have a great job, or a great education...if you don't have either of those...then try inventing something.

The guys that created Razor scooters weren't rocket scientists....they just invented something useful. Why not do the same

I think it's our freedom of sexuality.

all i said was that not everyone has those freedoms. i'm gonna work hard, of course i am, i want to make something of myself.

as for freedom of sexuality, thats everyones freedom to choose, but a lot are not accepted because of their choices.

Ireland's a lot better off nowadays dude

its gone from no money at all to too much money in the wrong places, the division between rich and not so rich is widening all the time

It can't be that bad, the state seems much better at self preservation than the UK currently.

maybe, but to be honest its the euro and a shoddy government screwin us all outta any chance to make a life, thats why am emmigrating

The American Constitution and Bill of Rights say it all for me - and I am not even an American !

There are two things that worry me though about the freedoms of the West...

1). Just how free are we REALLY when Big-Brother is watching us all the time.

2). Like anything else that comes easy we take whatever freedoms we have for granted until we either lose them or see see just how restricted and imprisoned the other peoples of the world can be.

If you are looking for a specific symbol or icon for freedom then the Statue of Liberty must be the one that rises above all others.

THIS.... from a highlander in the North of Scotland !

They would work as a symbol yes, but too bad their entire concept is being breached today. sad really.