My views on absolute freedom are just that. Should someone be able to own a nuke, yes. That takes the discussion to an extreme. I say I am an absolutist on freedom, because I have yet to see something else that works. I personally feel that we have created a world that is insustainable, our greed will always supercede any form of government or substantial reform of a systems in place. My views on freedom are not correct, I will be the first to admit that, however growing up with virtual absolute freedom and understanding the happiness that comes with it has a major influence on the matter for myself.
I also consider myself a realist, and as such the best model for a society to function properly would be to that of Bertrand Russells, "The impact of science on society.", in my opinion. Which goes against everything I would personally stand for. While absolute freedom is attainable, it is undesireable in the sense of having a functional intelligent society. That is the formula for my opinions on freedom, it has to be as absolute as reasonably possible. If I maintain an extreme view on the freedoms of an individual, it allows for the most possible freedom for a person at any time throughout a discussion and discourse and its end result. As I do not think the establishment of a true socialist government is possible, I feel I personally have to advocate for the absolute amount of freedom which can be given to one person.
As far as I can tell western nations function from an impact of greed and power, which has stretched back to the foundations of civilization. That is my general view of why western civilizations function as they do. They also tend to function, in my opinion, as a "I know what's best for you." civilization, or colonial aspect. "I'll do what is good for myself, and F*&^ you!" policy towards the world.
My experiences in Iraq have lead me to a lot of these conclusions. I had discussed with one of the vendors on a FOB in Iraq about what he thought of the US invasion. He said, "You came into my country, you killed my uncle, my nieces, my brother and my father. Saadam is gone, it's all ok." I didn't take that what we were there for was right from his statement. I took a further appreciation of what I have, which is minimal by my own choice, and how it relates to the world in general. He said it was all fine, but it really wasn't would be my guess, somehow his confidence in the face of such adversity struck me. While he sat there and talked with me on a personal level, of his personal loss, from actions taken by my society on his. I lost my "American" spirit of greed, due to reality which few face today. Freedom also seemed to be a very new concept to them, I know historically it is new, but it was almost shocking. They were quire proud of it though, showing us their fingers after they have voted. "Al-Maliki, NO GOOD!" I heard that a lot. Self decision seems to have an impact on a person, and seeing it as a new found trait struck me.
That being said, I have always looked for answers which can pose new questions. Our evolution as a species is dependent on the continuation of asking questions, even if subtle, on any issue or discourse. That's why I am here, I am learning more and more as I read so keep that in mind. I am undereducated in the realm of philosophy in a general sense but I still have plenty of questions and answers to seek.
Thank you for the warm welcome. I hope to learn from you people, and hope you can take one or two things away from myself and my radical views
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