Freedom

I have been asked to give a talk about a documentary called "Freedom to Fascism". I have been thinking a lot about what exactly 'Freedom" means.
First off, we tend to focus on external freedoms, such as those granted by the Bill of Rights. I am using the word 'granted', as historically these rights had to be wrested from the local land barons at the point of some weapon or threat. The Land Lords don't like to give up any of their avenues of exploitation, so it is a matter of continuous maintenance, as they will ungrant whenever possible. Please notice the current trend, with the abolition of Habeas Corpus, a basic right that was initially granted to lesser nobles by the King of England in the Magna Carta. The serfs would still eat cake. Finally, the serfs thought it a good idea that imprisonment at the whim of the Lords and perpetual sabbatical in a dungeon, without charges or trial, needed to be outlawed. I guess those dungeons were just too much fun.
Internal freedom is what I most focus on these days. I am my own jailer, interrogator and torturer. How to unhook from all the propaganda, habits of mind, conditioning and assumptions is what I am doing now. That's plenty.
Political freedom is about justice. Politics, simply defined is: "Who gets what." So it is about fairness, equality and opportunity. If some of us are living large at the expense of others, that is unfair. If the others are trying to get a fair share, that is politics. Nobody with any sense would begrudge you the only second helping of pie if they see that your character or skill is beneficial to all. As a matter of fact, they would insist that you accept half of their slice. They would be honored if you did.
While some of us are burning wood in the stove to keep warm, a few are burning bundles of money. That, of course, is a comical statement, but there is a lot of truth in it. Ostentatious displays of wealth, something most of us don't even get to see, as it is done on privately owned islands and acreage. Most wealth is inherited and money has the nasty habit of multiplying beyond all reason. If you are born with a silver spoon or no spoon is a matter of chance. The existence of that kind of slanted economic system, where such huge gaps, such concentrated wealth is found, speaks of manipulation and cheatery.
Just to get to the place where I can write about this, was a matter of liberation, as to question the status quo is an act of subversion. More to follow.