A Choice That Taught Me What Freedom Means
I would like to share with you an experience from my life that taught me a lesson concerning freedom of choice. The event took place last year, while I was in my first year of senior high school. I met a group of classmates that I grew extraordinarily close to. We would hang out together in class, make comments to each other, and talk to each other after school. We were closer than ever a few months ago. We talked to each other daily and made plans together. I had so much fun being a part of that circle of friends. However, that all changed, and fast.
Communication with these people began to slow down for me. Our group chat became silent and empty. Everyone was growing distant and busier with their own life, and the invitations stopped flowing my way. It didn’t bother me at first; I told myself that everyone is facing their own set of circumstances in life. Nonetheless, the realistic part of me knew that we were growing far, and I was doing nothing about it. I had a choice to make: I could either choose to reach out and express my interest in hanging out with them, or I could allow our friendship to drift away and pretend that it never mattered to me in the first place.
The choice that I made was the cowardice one, and I have regretted it to this very day. I chose the path of least resistance and let the friendship go. It was a difficult choice to make, and I do not blame anyone for my decision.
I chose to walk away because I was afraid of feeling desperate and lonely. I feared feeling like a bother to them and being the kind of friend that they did not deserve. Therefore, it was easier to walk away and allow the friendship to dissolve rather than to look desperate and annoying. I do not think that anyone would have disowned me if I had chosen to ask for their help in saving the friendship, but it was that kind of fear that drove me to let the friendship drift away.
It came with painful consequences for me as time went by. The people that I grew incredibly close to were now complete strangers to me. Although we sat in the same classes together, the most that we did was greet each other with a wave or a short comment. I have come to terms with the fact that relationships require both parties to contribute to their sustenance. My biggest lesson was that it was not enough to only ask for help, support, or even money. It is also necessary to provide the help, support, or encouragement that someone is in need of, even if it is not in the most convenient of times. The worst part of the entire experience is that I knew that I let the friendship dissolve because I feared feeling desperate and lonely.
The experience has taught me that freedom of choice is a matter of having the courage to choose what one desires most in life. Freedom of choice entails the power to choose between various alternatives, which often present themselves with a mixture of good and bad consequences. My perception of freedom has changed, for the better, since then. It has become more apparent to me that freedom of choice also involves choosing between alternatives that are difficult to deal with in the long run. I may have had the freedom to choose to save the friendship, but I had the responsibility to make that choice and to deal with its consequences.
The experience has also taught me to cherish my friends and family more. I have gained a new perspective on the kind of behavior that makes people feel appreciated or unappreciated. I have learned that everyone, including those that I perceive as disabled or less fortunate, feels the need to be a part of a community just like anyone else. I will always strive to be a responsible member of my society because I do not want to be the cause of despair in the life of another person. I am confident that the experience has taught me the best lesson that it could possibly teach me: the kind of choice that one makes when no one is looking defines who one is and what one stands for. Freedom of choice should not be used as a license for doing whatever one pleases in life. Instead, it should be used as a regulatory mechanism for making decisions that make life meaningful. I have learned a great lesson from that experience in my life, and I will forever cherish the painful consequences that came with it. I have learned that the people that I care about and the ones that care about me are worth fighting for.