WorldWide Drilling Resource

The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Weighing in on Freedom ~ Is it a Lifestyle, Mindset, or a Right? Janis Joplin famously sang the lyrics of Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster in the song Me and Bobby MaGee , “Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose.” Is freedom simply the lack of entanglements, obligations, and responsibilities? Is the homeless beg- gar on the street corner free? He certainly doesn’t have to be at work by 9:00 a.m., pay rent or taxes, raise children, or keep up with friends and family. There might be freedom from stress in such a lifestyle, but is he free? I think most of us would answer, “No.” Some say freedom is a spiritual concept. Osho, an Indian spiritual teacher said, “True freedom is always spiritual. It has something to do with your innermost being, which cannot be chained, handcuffed, or put into a jail.” Is freedom then a mindset? Being able to be at peace regardless of the conditions? An example of that might be this quote from Holocaust survivor Viktor Franklin his book Man’s Search for Meaning which recounts his experience in a German concentration camp during World War II: “The highest and greatest of the human freedoms is to choose your attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Which leads me to think of the debate over Free Will vs. Determinism. Are we free to make our own choices, or are our actions and behaviors determined by either a higher power, or our background and environment? I’ll leave this argument to the professional philosophers and psychologists, and for the sake of this article assume we have free will. I recall my father telling me when I was a child, "Your freedom ends where my nose begins." My father was always saying funny things, so at the time I wasn’t sure if he was being serious. In hindsight, I think what he meant is I am free to do anything I want as long as it doesn’t interfere with someone else’s freedom to do what they want. Which brings to mind this example: freedom of speech does NOT mean you can yell, "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater when there is no fire. Milton Friedman, in his bestselling book titled Free to Choose , talks about having choices in everything we do - especially economic choices - as the basis of freedom. French philosopher Simone Weil, concurs with her statement, “Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose.” As did the power hungry, Napoleon Bonaparte, who, perhaps paradoxically proffered, “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” The founders of the United States were motivated by what they considered to be the inalienable or nontransferable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. Their belief in the Right to Life means an individual owns his or her life and body. This right in turn gives the individual the Right of Freedom to pursue and produce the sustenance necessary to maintain life and body. The time and labor put into producing life’s sustenance creates property we then own. This is how the concept of property Serving the Water Well, Environmental, Sonic, HDD, Mining, and Construction Industries Threads: API, Mayhew, BECO, DCDMA, FEDP, 88.9mm-177.8mm Other Industrial Threads and Custom Threads A Manufacturer of: Inertia-Welded Drill Pipe, Dual-Wall Drill Pipe, Wireline, Drill Rod/Casing, Composite Wireline Drill Rods, Sonic Drill Pipe/Casing/Bits, Percussion Casing/Bits, Drill Collars, Fishing Tools, Subs, Starter Rods, and Stabilizers. We now accept: Drill Pipe Inc. 550 S Third St. • Winsted, MN 55395 Phone: (866) 220-8342 • (763) 592-8670 • Fax: (763) 592-8661 tom@drillpipeinc.com • www.drillpipeinc.com Wilson cont’d on page 52. 37 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2017