Dichotomy in Freedom by Choice; To Exploit or to Realize It?

『Man became a cog in the vast economic machine—an important one if he had much capital, an insignificant one if he has none—but always a cog to serve a purpose outside himself. This readiness for submission of one’s self to extrahuman ends was actually prepared by Protestantism,… one main point in Luther’s teaching was his emphasis on the evilness of human nature, the uselessness of his will and of his efforts. Calvin placed the same emphasis on the wickedness of man and put in the centre of his whole system the idea that man must humiliate his self-pride to the utmost; and furthermore that the purpose of man’s life is exclusively God’s glory and nothing of his own. Thus Luther and Calvin psychologically prepared man for the role which he had to assume in modern society:…Once man was ready to become nothing but the means for the glory of a God who represented neither justice nor love, he was sufficiently prepared to accept the role of a servant to the economic machine—and eventually a “Führer”.』

 

Erich Fromm in his book, Escape from Freedom distinguishes two aspects of freedom, ”freedom from” and “freedom to”. He explains human race has achieved “freedom from” external domination outside oneself, still needs to realize “freedom to” being a spontaneous-self who doesn’t sacrifice one’s own integrity for the sake of superimposed security from the outside. Without the realization of spontaneity in “freedom to” the self, one is bound to be insecure and incompetent with “freedom from” one external domineering power and eventually will submit his or her freedom to another convincing external power in exchange for pseudo-security. Absent of “the spontaneous realization of the self", the freedom one exercises can be simply illusory and destructive with which one can even enslave oneself to the most deteriorating nature such as fear, lust, deceit, etc.

However, once realized within, the spontaneous freedom will renew one’s world both inwardly and outwardly---with others and Nature respectively. Thus, one will be fully capable of exercising it with spontaneity especially in loving as well as in working without trying to domineer or exploit one another.

 

Above all, by living sponte, of one’s free will, not to exploit but to realize our real interests as human beings, we become capable of overcoming any gruesome threats or crises besetting our lives.