I have been thinking a lot about freedom lately. Likely, at least in part, as we have just celebrated Independence Day marking the declaration of freedom from the tyranny of King George III of England in 1776 by the 13 colonies. And then there is our community motto, “Fresh Air, Freedom and Fun,” that is often repeated during these times of summer activities going on around us.

I wonder, though, when we speak of freedom, do we have a shared common understanding of it? Does the word freedom mean different things in different contexts? For example, is political freedom the same as religious freedom? How about individual freedom and freedom in and among communities. Are there differences or nuances that bear considering?

In my experience, in common discourse the term is often applied to freedom of individuals, that is, that persons are free to pursue their personal desires and lifelong goals.

We all want to be free to do what we want with our time, talents, and resources with autonomy. It is a good thing that we are blessed to live in a country that seeks to secure and maintain such freedom, at times at great cost to some individuals.

But what happens when one persons sense of freedom to do what one wants conflicts with another individual’s sense of free autonomy? How do we manage to settle such a clash of freedoms?

In a somewhat parallel way, traditional Christian theology speaks of freedom in regard to individuals in terms of being “free from sin,” sin being understood as the breaking of a moral code, or bad and destructive human behavior. The implication is that all humans are held in bondage to such a state and require divine intervention to be “set free” from this condition.

Whereas this may be of significant benefit to an individual, experiencing a sense of spiritual release from troublesome attitudes and behaviors, is this all there is to “religious” or spiritual freedom? Is there not also a collective, or community-based sense of spiritual freedom that is present among us?

When we examine individual freedoms, sometimes referred to as “rights,” we immediately recognize the inevitable conflicts that arise. As a result, we work out ways of confronting the problem and developing various means of settling these collisions of individual freedoms. If the focus remains on the individual and the goal is to determine “winners” and “losers” satisfactory resolution usually escapes us. The good news is that another approach is available to us.

Jesus of Nazareth had a simple, but hard to achieve, solution to offer. Rather than focus on a fierce defense of individual freedoms, he suggested we start by considering the common good.

First, let’s acknowledge that we are all in this together. We come in bunches, and we need to get along in our bunches. Thus, more important than “rights” or individual freedoms is the need to secure life and its resources for all.

The only way that can happen is to accept responsibility for one another, as well as for one’s self.  He envisioned a society in which there is enough for everyone, everyone cared for one another, compassion was offered for those in distress, people were treated with respect and equality, and resources were shared generously.

He said it would be like heaven! And he suggested, guess what? We can have it right now, right here, in this very place!

Once we move our focus and energies from ourselves and our individual rights, as important as they may be, to making sure everyone in the community takes responsibility to make sure everyone has what they need, a new way of being is established. It is called the Way of Love. This may be, at least for me, the ultimate expression of freedom.