Lesson 4 -

Human Life: A
Struggle for Human
Freedom
INTRODUCTION

For young Filipinos

today, there is a need
to understand the
different facets of the
concept of freedom.

2
INTRODUCTION
This lesson aims to
identify the different
notions of freedom, so
we will understand
freedom more and use it
properly in developing
ourselves and others.
3
 ACTIVITY

WHO IS FREER?

4
 ACTIVITY

WHO IS FREER?

5
 ACTIVITY

WHO IS FREER?

6
 ACTIVITY

WHO IS FREER?

7
 ACTIVITY

WHO IS FREER?

8
Being afflicted by a serious
illness or suffering from
imprisonment, war,
unemployment, or
unexpected pregnancy are
difficult situations that lead
to loss of one’s personal
freedom.

9
 WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN?
Is it about being able to move freely or to have no
physical restrictions?
What if each of the people whom we considered
free in the activity had his or her own unfortunate
backstory?

Is freedom a perspective?
Is it a mere attitude or an inner disposition?
10
 In this lesson, let us deeply understand human
freedom by studying the following:
1. Our different notions of freedom;
2. Some personal and collective experiences of
freedom;
3. The relation of our moral acts to freedom; and
4. Specific persons or groups of people who promote
and respect the dignity of humans

11
 DIFFERENT NOTIONS OF FREEDOM

“
1. FREEDOM AS CONTEXT
Some have more freedom than others
if we consider the real circumstances of
people.
To further distinguish the different
situations of people, we can categorize
these experiences as…
12
 ⊡ External threats
to freedom

⊡ Internal threats
o freedom

13
 EXTERNAL THREATS TO FREEDOM
These are conditions that limit and hinder the full exercise
of one’s personal freedom on a physical level. Hence these
threats are more obvious and visible. Examples of these
are: Imprisonment, Sickness, War, Unexpected Pregnancy

14
INTERNAL THREATS TO FREEDOM
These are those conditions that limit and hinder the full
exercise of our personal freedom from within. Although
invisible and not so obvious, these inner circumstances
have an effect on our moral decisions and actions. These
take the form of memories, feelings, attitudes, cultural
biases, philosophies, and ways of thinking.

15
 DIFFERENT NOTIONS OF FREEDOM

“
2. FREEDOM AS THE CAPACITY TO
CHOOSE

We are gifted with freedom that gives

us the capacity to choose freely distinguish
us from all other creatures.

16
 DIFFERENT NOTIONS OF FREEDOM

“
Freedom is God’s gift to human beings.
It entails responsibility. It is the ability to
respond to situations appropriately. In
our exercise of freedom, we respond to
God who loves us and calls us to a
loving relationship with Him and with
others.

17
 DIFFERENT NOTIONS OF FREEDOM

“
3. FREEDOM AS THE CHOICE ITSELF

A human action refers to either an

“act of man” or a free human act.

An act of man refers to what a human

person does outside the context and
capacity of his freedom.
18
 In simple terms, these are the person’s
involuntary acts like…

19
 Our freedom to think and to choose
is in the context of free human acts or
choices. A free human act is born out of
one’s freedom. When one uses his/her
capacity to think and choose, one does
free human acts. As such, human acts,
therefore, are moral acts. All free human
acts can either be morally good or
morally evil.
20
 All free human acts, including our
waking in the morning, are moral acts. We
call them moral acts because they are
choices, that involve our mind, will,
discernment, and decision. Being moral is
being human. Our moral acts make us who
we are as free human persons. Guided by
laws and our conscience, we should make
moral decisions that help us become
authentically free.
21
4. FREEDOM AS THE PERSON FORMED BY ONE’S CHOICES
Our free human acts are
moral because these form
the kind of persons we
can be.

Through free human acts

or moral acts, we become
either other-centered
persons or self-centered
individuals.
22
This can be determined by the kind of choices and
decisions we habitually make.

In this case, it has become the core or fundamental decision

to be faithful to who we are as human persons and it is
shaped with our loving relationship with God and others.
23
Through our free human acts
or moral acts, we form our
core decision or fundamental
option that tells the kind of
person we are or the quality of
freedom we have become.
Related to this truth, our
fundamental option also
influences our future choices
and acts.

24
Lesson 5:
Authentic Human Freedom:
Doing What Is Morally Good

Use big image

INTRODUCTION

This lesson deals with

the demands of
authentic freedom.

26
THE IRONY OF MORAL GOOD AND EVIL
Anything that enslaves,
causes suffering, and
destroys the human
person is called evil.
The limitation of the
natural world, which in
itself is not evil, can result in evil for human
persons and communities. This refers to
cosmic evil.
27
Examples of cosmic evil are…

28
29
MORAL EVIL…
is perpetuated by our evil free acts.
When we choose to do evil, we contribute
to the sins of the world and to our inner
state of dysfunctional motivations.
Therefore, moral evil ultimately results in
human destruction.

30
The irony about moral good and evil is
that when we choose to do good acts, we
oftentimes experience difficulty. When we
choose to do evil acts, we usually
experience initial comforts or rewards.
31
32
THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN FREEDOM
Human persons are formed by their
free acts. A person who cheats becomes a
cheater or a corrupt person. Without
remorse a cheater would be unwilling to
admit his/her dishonesty. Someone who has
been caught and penalized for dishonesty
may actually be a freer person compared to
another who has not admitted his/her fault.
33
 Authentic human
freedom is doing
what is morally
good; this makes us
better and freer
human persons.
Meanwhile, our evil acts corrupt us and
destroy us from within. One immoral act will
become an addiction if the act becomes a
habit.
34
 THE IMPORTANCE OF
LAWS AND CONSCIENCE
After learning that authentic
freedom is doing the good, we realize
that human freedom involves our
choices and decisions.
Human freedom was not given by
God to us for nothing. Human freedom
does not imply doing whatever we want.
It has to be guided by universal moral
values that are upheld and promoted by
our laws and conscience.
35
 Human freedom is relational. It
cannot be separated from our
relationships within with other
people, in our families,
communities, society and the
world.

It is meant to be exercised not only for one’s benefit, but

also for the common good. Our human freedom, our
capacity to think and choose for ourselves, is not a
selfish tool. It is meant for the search for the truth and
for exercising love and service to others.

36
 In whatever situation we are in,
the exercise of human freedom
should always be guided by the
principles of law and the voice of
conscience.

Laws and conscience help us know what is good with

respect to the universal moral values that we all regard
as what make us all human.
37
LESSON 6:

FINDING THE PURPOSE

AND MEANING OF LIFE
38
 Human life is a search for the meaning, value, and
purposes of life. We do not want our lives to be
worthless; we want to lead meaningful lives for ourselves
and for others. As human persons, we desire to be
purposeful and valuable.

At the core of these human desires is the truth that

life is a precious gift from God. Since human life is a gift,
we want to maximize it. The other truth about life is that it
is limited. Therefore, we need to make responsible
decisions in using our precious time here on earth.
39
As we mature, we recognize that the things are
as not equally important or do not share the
same worth. Some realities have greater value
than others. There should be a correct ordering
of priorities, a hierarchy of values. Part of this
hierarchy is that people are more important than
things. An affirmation of this truth is the work of
an American psychologist named Abraham
Maslow, who proposed the classical model of
the hierarchy of human needs.
40
Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs

41
In the process of developing ourselves
fully, we are called to exercise our human
freedom in faith. That is to respond to God
through love and service of others.
Therefore, self-actualization leads to self-
transcendence and self-giving. Human
freedom is God’s gift to humans. Like all
the other gifts, human freedom, when
used properly, will help human persons
achieve happiness in life.
42
Thus, ultimately, authentic
freedom leads us to God who
is the source of all goodness.
By choosing to do what is
morally good, we become
authentically free; we become
who we truly are as human
persons who are more loving
to God and others. With
these, we become fully
happy.
43
GOD’S CALL IN OUR LIVES
At this point, we turn our attention
and reflect on our relationship with the
summum bonum or the highest good of
our lives, our greatest good who is God.

GOD is…
- truly alive in our midst
- continues to create and recreate the
world
44
- Continues to sustain life on earth and
the movement of everything in the
universe.

45