Freedom….
Space…. The right to make
one’s own decisions…. Children
want it. Teens crave it. Young adults go to extremes to gain
it. Employees struggle to gain a
glimpse of it. So why is it so
elusive? Why must we go to such
lengths to achieve it? Even at
minimalistic levels?
How much is enough?
Too much? Just the right
amount? I suppose that depends on
the individual. The setting. And those others who are involved.
For some, no matter how much freedom they get, it’ll never
be enough. For others, a little
seems to satiate their appetite.
Others still tend to plunge off the deep end when given a taste of
freedom, unable to discern acceptable boundaries for behavior, having been kept
on waaaaaay too tight a leash where
they were never given the opportunity to make their own decisions or learn from
their minor mistakes without being made to feel that they’re a complete
failure.
So what’s the solution? I believe it all comes down to trust. Without trust, those who are in control
will never loosen the reins enough to let others prove themselves. And without us having trust that others
will grant us that chance to prove we can handle freedom, some resort to
deceptive means to gain what they want/need. A good example of both scenarios is when parents refuse to
allow for the possibility that their children might be capable of growing up
and handling more responsibility.
Does this mean those same kids won’t stumble and sometimes
plunge into troubled waters that they themselves created? No. They’re human, just as we all are, and need freedom to make
mistakes that they can learn from in order they’ll become better/more capable
people. Same could be said for
employees and those whom they employ.
Like I said, I believe it all comes down to trust. Sooner or later, we all have to
trust. And with that trust comes
great responsibility, for trust needs to be appropriately doled out. What do I mean by that? Let’s use the child/parent relationship
as an example. A parent has the
responsibility to allow their children to grow by providing them situations in
which that growth is not only possible but also probable. On the flip side, the child has the
responsibility to honor, not abuse, that trust, meaning that if things do get out
of hand or they’re not sure what to do next, then they need to reach out to
someone, parent or not, whom they trust to guide them on the right path. Same holds true with
employers/employees.
So, though everyone craves freedom, space and the right to make
one’s own decisions, the only individuals who will truly achieve that goal are
the ones willing to put in the effort to trust, not only in their ability to
offer trust, but also that the one to whom they are bestowing that trust will
try to honor it.
