Student Wellbeing

The Freedom Trap

Part of my role this year has been teaching Biblical Studies in Years 10, 11 & 12. With our Year 11s, we journeyed through a new unit called “The Freedom Trap”, based on the book of the same name by Max Jeganathan. As a lawyer, policy advisor to a former Prime Minister, and currently working with the Centre for Public Christianity, Jeganathan effectively engages with current issues in Australian society, bringing a biblical perspective and voice to national and global events and trends.

In his book “The Freedom Trap,” Jeganathan outlines the journey of how we have come to understand freedom that may not be as free as we think.

He works through 5 traps that a modern misunderstanding of freedom can lead us into, those being:

1. Too many choices - almost limitless choices and options can lead to decision fatigue.
2. Unavoidable consequences - we are free to choose; however, every choice that we make has consequences and comes at the cost of other opportunities.
3. Metrics of success - how comparison with others and their achievements, along with societal definitions of success, can shape our decision-making and also impact our wellbeing.
4. Technology addiction - the tools meant to empower us can also reshape our identities, habits, and relationships in limiting and even addictive ways.

5. Impact on others - a selfish use of personal freedom can unintentionally limit or harm others

    

As the author points out, the unbridled exercise of our freedoms can lead to significant risks of mental and emotional ill health in ourselves, as well as the negative impact of our choices on those around us.

The Apostle Paul speaks to the heart of this freedom paradox in 1 Corinthians 10:23:

You say, “I am allowed to do anything” — but not everything is good for you. 

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. 

So how do we intentionally shape our own environment and the environments of those dependent on us, especially our children, to allow true freedom to be discovered and enjoyed?

There are, of course, many things to be considered, and nuance is required in application for each individual and family; however, the first guideline is implicit in verse 23 of 1 Corinthians 10: Intentionally applying limits to our freedoms is good and healthy.

As the book entails, true freedom actually requires intentional limits and healthy restrictions. These can look different for each of us, and often need to, as we each are unique in our susceptibility to the various ‘freedom traps.’ However, we can be encouraged and challenged to take stock and be intentional in how we place limits to grow into true freedom.

In the very next verse of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul goes on to say,

Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

And he also writes in Philippians 2:3-4,

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

And what was this attitude that Christ Jesus had? His attitude was that His purpose was to serve others, and He freely chose to do so.

1. In referencing the continuation of this passage in Philippians 2, Jeganathan says:

“Interestingly, however, the Christian message claims that God himself embraced limitations. He stepped into the world as a person, submitting himself to the human realities of hunger, thirst, pain, grief, loss, loneliness and, ultimately, death.

According to the Bible, whenever Jesus voluntarily embraced limits, he did so with a broader purpose in mind. He was playing the long game. It was more than mere humility. It was strategy. Strategy underpinned by purpose.”

From all of this, we can derive a second guideline: using our freedom to serve others is a purpose that promotes genuine freedom.

Upon nearing the conclusion of his arguments, Jeganathan leaves us with these thoughts to ponder.

“Perhaps our freedom is not something to point at the world around us, 

but a set of opportunities to contribute to the wellbeing of others. Maybe reclaiming freedom begins with the realisation that freedom begins with other people.”

In a highly individualistic culture where humans can be self-focused to the detriment of both ourselves and others, the idea that our wellbeing and the wellbeing of others are inextricably linked is a direct challenge to current societal norms. But I believe this is the beauty and opportunity God has woven into His design for humanity.

As we steward our personal freedoms and, like Christ, use them for the purpose of serving others, despite the cost of sacrifice that comes with it at times, we can all grow in our experience of true freedom.

Joel Overweel

Chaplain