What Does Freedom Feel Like?

It is said human beings are born to be free but this is true if you are born under certain conditions. If you are born in a developed country, your freedom chances are higher compared to a person who is born in a developing country.

Does the economy play a huge role on people’s freedom? Well, I have not done a formal research about this topic but I have experienced it. In a developed country, people have a better quality life, extreme poverty does not exist and poor people have at least their basic needs covered by the government. I discovered it the first week I began living in France. French students told me I could walk alone on the street and even late at night because they have never experienced any danger in the city and I realised I could do the same in other europeans countries.

On the contrary, in a developing country, institutions fails, the social inequality increases every year and the government does not have a strong health or education system for its population. In Colombia, as poor people do not find jobs, they think about easy ways to get money through robbery and this is the reason we cannot be free in our own cities. You take a big risk if you take the bus because some thieves can get into it, they point to everyone with a loaded gun and they take the money, mobiles, jewellery and even shoes from passengers.

You also are facing danger if you walk on the street with any visible electronic device, money in your hand or expensive jewelry. You are too brave or too silly if you walk alone on a lonely street or if you do it during midnight. The insecurity we have to deal with, it overwhelms us.

I have never been stolen because I avoid public transportation, I rarely walk on the street and I take all the precautions required. I think people are not free, if they need to be aware of people around them and if they are afraid about what could happen to them the following day. Every day, all you watch, hear or read from the media is about insecurity. Some people get murdered because they did not want to give their belongings and some of them lose what they have been saving with hard work.

If you can enjoy this kind of freedom in your town, you should be grateful because there are a lot of people around the world that would give anything to go out without being exposed to any threat.