The Essence of Freedom

In the world we live in we are often confined by rules, regulations, culture, and tradition.
We are driven by a society that dictates our way of life. The idea that we live in a free world and
no one is a slave is nothing more than a simple ideal belief. Despite the fact that no one is
walking around physical chains does not mean we are not bonded. We have all become slaves to
material things and social acceptance.
No one is truly free to explore their lives and do things as they please out of fear of
endangerment, acceptance, family and etc. There are a few individuals with the courage to break
those social norms and responsibilities. These people have the ability to define who they are as
individuals without a care of what society thinks of them. They march to the beat of their own
drum as they write the story of their life. They are the ones who are truly free from the invisible
chains placed upon us by society.
The Reckless Are Truly Free
These individuals are the risk takers who are seen as reckless. Many people often look at
those who are reckless as some sort of misguided misfit. Questioning their ability to accept
responsibility. In many cases labeling them as individuals with no concern for others around
them. These people cast a load of judgment down on the reckless because they fail to understand
the reasoning behind such odd behavior. The simply cannot comprehend what drives a person to
participate in events that are not consider socially acceptable.
Despite judgmental people, there are also those individuals who see people who are
reckless as a person with a sense of adventure. Someone who is longing for more in life. They
have a thirst to do things out of their social norms and responsibilities. In the movie Into the Wild

(2007), Chris decides to go paddling down the river at the Grand Canyon which eventually took
him to Mexico. Despite the fact that he did not have a permit or ever paddled in a raging river
before he was still willing to take that risk. Many people will find Chris determination to take
matters into his own hands reckless. In that moment of time Chis took control of his life. He no
longer confined by the rules society had placed on him. He was living his life breaking those
rules which many people are afraid to do so.
Rite of Passages
The modern-day society that we live in prides its self around individuals with financial
stability, education, riches, status, and material things. Education for example, is almost a rite of
passage and expectation for the vast majority of people to attend four-year University or higher.
In many societies there is a value placed upon obtaining a secondary education. Many people
have a tendency praising individuals with a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degree. We hold
these individuals to a higher standards for their years spent earning a textbook education.
Rarely people stop to think and question how these individuals actually obtained their
degree. It is true you have some individuals who work hard and study while attending the
University. Then you have others who take shortcuts in their quest of obtaining their degrees.
These individuals either cheat or find some other way to make the grades necessary in order to
accomplish their goals. Can a person actually call someone educated and full of knowledge who
takes these measures? Possessing the ability to memorize information for a test or specific
moment in time but lack the ability to resuscitate afterward is nothing more than an illusion.
Never the less these individuals have become slaves to our societys definition of
education. Emphases are placed on simply attending a university and obtaining a 3.0 GPA (grade

point average) and higher. It is been drilled into the head at an early age to go to school, make
good grades, obtain a degree and they will go far in life. When the time comes for these
individuals to attend the university, they are only driven by the aspect of making good grades
forgetting the other dynamics of education.
Education is not what you can learn simply by reading a textbook and memorization for
a test. According to West, the only true education was self-education. . . . men would only
begin to fulfil themselves when they saw that there were no obstacles which they could not break
down by their own efforts. It is about making goals, cultural experience, and ultimately
preparing you to be good global citizens. Having a former education is good when added to an
individual who is self-educated. West continue by stating, Education was needed not to instruct
mankind . . . , but to 'unfold his stores'. But since men had to discover their potentialities by
themselves it was a grave hindrance to their development . .
Society has condition many people to only focus on getting a good education in order to
find a career. After employment it is expected for them to settle down and reproduce. Despite
achieving this accomplishment many individuals still never find happiness or self-fulfillment. In
fact, trying to achieve this modern-day rite of passage can actually be very time-consuming for
some people. The high stress levels from working in an intense stress environment can often
carry over into your personal life effecting your relationships, according "Role Stress, WorkFamily Conflict and Emotional Exhaustion: Inter-Relationships and Effects on Some WorkRelated Consequences."
What some view as a life time accomplishment others find it to be life-draining. It is due
to the fact that you spent all your time trying to accomplish these goals and possess materialistic

things to please others but never yourself. It is almost as if any individual who breaks out of this
pattern of belief is considered socially unacceptable or look down upon.
There is a stereotype placed upon individuals who lack of a formal education. There are
people with a degree who think individuals without a secondary education are lazy and inferior
compared to them. This way of thinking is a sign of ignorance. Education is not based on what
you can find and recite from a textbook. There are people who are book smart but lack common
sense.
Book smarts can only get you so far in life compared to individuals who are educated on the
ways of life. For example, what good is being able to quoted William Shakespeare or knowing
how to calculate the square root of pi and cannot change a flat tire on your car when it blows.
What many people fail to realize the fact that it is many of the non-college educated that keeps
the world substantial. Despite not having a text book education these individuals have a skill or
trade with their hands.
In the movie Into the Wild, despite Chris' accomplishments he never felt more alive until
after he gave up what society anticipated for him. It was when he had nothing he felt more alive.
Not everyone can live the way Chris did and give up everything. When you decide to live a life
of simplicity, it can be a lonely one. In many case the person will give up everything and believe
they can live a carefree life alone. As humans, we realize we need each other because we are
naturally social creatures. In the movie Chris realize this when it was too late for him. He spent
his last day missing all of his love ones. In reality absolute freedom comes with a prices. In order
to find true happiness in life one must find a balance between the two.

Work Cited
Into the Wild. Dir. Sean Penn. Perf. Emile Hirsch Marcia Gay Harden Jena Malone Catherine
Keener. Paramount Vantage, 2007. DVD.
West, E. G. 'Liberty And Education: John Stuart Mill's Dilemma'. Philosophy 40.152 (1965):
129. Web.
Boles, James S., Mark W. Johnston, and Joseph F. Hair, Jr. "Role Stress, Work-Family Conflict
and Emotional Exhaustion: Inter-Relationships and Effects on Some Work-Related
Consequences." Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 1997th ser. 17.1 (n.d.): 17-28.