0011: THE FREEDOM OF ADVENTURE

The Freedom of Adventure

303 words, 1.5 minutes

There is freedom in adventure. Until other people are involved, and then it gets complicated.

In Hegel’s book, Elements of the Philosophy of Right, he discussed three types of freedom. The first two freedoms were the freedom to do what you want and think what you want as long as you didn’t harm others. Individual freedoms have not always been a right, and for many, adventures in nature offer an escape towards realizing individual freedom, a place where you can even wear zip-off pants or no pants at all.

However, Hegel argued that individual freedoms weren’t enough to fully realize freedom and individual freedoms alone didn’t make a truly free society. We are individuals and members of groups, and we have to view our freedom in the context of being part of a group.

Group adventures amplify how we are all connected. It is easier to feel how everyone’s independent personal freedoms can infringe on the overall freedom of the group, especially when we share limited space and resources. The trick to getting any group to work together smoothly is to establish a group culture, a society with social norms that are more attractive than personal desires. No deodorant or showering for days works when everyone is doing it.

Eating all of the M&Ms in the trail mix first also works when it’s only one person, but usually, we share the trail mix on our adventures. We also share common goals. True freedom is sharing. We give up some individual freedom when we join a group (friendship, family, team, society), but we gain much more. When actively communicating with others and participating in a group, we experience and feel the third type of freedom, the freedom to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves – and that is the ultimate freedom.