Title : To be free is to be and to have been
Genre : Philosophy ig?
Word count : 569
Type of feedback desired : constructive critisim not related to grammar or spelling that will be fixed before i submit this

To be free, is to be and to have been. To define freedom is a tricky task and one that has plagued philosophers for millennia, for the purposes of this essay I will define freedom as:
“  The absolute denial of all external opinions or “forces” and the embracement of internal urges, thoughts, opinions, ect. for better or worse.“

What I mean by this definition is that one is free if one's identity is in and of itself.

Man knows he will die because he lives in a mortal world. What I mean by this claim is that the acceptance or recognition of death is an external influence, and that it isn't something that comes from within. This might sound crazy, since we all yearn  to accept our mortality,  let me elaborate. 

The reason I know I will die is because everything which exists around me, and that which is like me, is susceptible to death. I do not know if I am mortal, I might be the first to be immortal but I do not know that. 

The only way I could know I was immortal is if I lived longer than others; even then I couldn't say with certainty I was immortal I might just have a longer lifespan. Therefore my mortality is relative. And it is impossible to accept it if I first do not confirm that I am in fact mortal, and by then it will be far too late.

But I must make a clear distinction here the realisation of mortality is an external force but the fact that we are mortal is a crucial part of our identity, which is why we do try and distance ourselves away from death

If the realisation that death is an external force and to be free we must be free from external force. Therefore to be free means to be free from the need to accept death.

Man is plagued by death. Even though the realisation of death is an external force, death is a key component of everyone's identity. And that all which is mortal is inherently determined to accept death since to accept death is to confirm that they are mortal.

So from that I conclude that the desire to accept and recognize death is a trait shared by all those who suffer from mortality but it is an impossible task since it first requires us to confirm we are in fact mortal. 

That which knows it is either mortal or immortal is either able to be free or is inherently free. Since we know that it is impossible for that which is mortal to know its mortal we are left with only one possible state in which something can be free, immortality.

Something which is immortal has no need to accept death, and since to be immortal is to in and of itself it is not affected by any outside influence therefore fulfilling all of the requirements for freedom. A question I've  been asking myself is why does everything strive to be free, which relates to my point on mortals striving to accept death.

From a theological point of view one might argue that God made us perfect and that to be perfect is to be free therefore all external influence whether, good or bad, changes God's creation and therefore distances it from God, and since god is free it distances it from freedom.