Liberty <- Freedom <- Agency

Liberty, freedom, and agency.  We hear these terms brandied about frequently, and for the most part use them interchangeably.  What do they actually mean, and how are they related?

AGENCY

Agency is a fundamental principle of godliness.  It is a right given to each of us by God.  It is the inherent capacity to be able to choose.  Agency cannot be abrogated by others, it cannot be limited or constrained by any external entity.  We willingly requested agency and as such are bound by the consequences of such a great privilege.  Natural Law dictates that agency is required to approach the divine, that any entity not endowed with agency cannot be morally judged as all their actions are based upon and determined by the set of laws given for the sphere in which they dwell.  Agency is the greatest gift we can be given.

FREEDOM

Freedom is the ability to act.  It is the realm of constraints upon our ability to exercise our agency.  Freedom is measured by the level of impositions upon our opportunity for choice.  Our freedom can be compromised by ourselves or others.  Consequences of our actions may limit our freedom, as can external forces.  We can have a direct affect on promoting or limiting our freedom, but some restrictions are completely out of our control.  Our freedom dictates the extent to which our agency can be implemented.

LIBERTY

Liberty consists in the social and political environments which create the level of freedom which we enjoy.  Liberty is purely a function of inter-human relations and conventions.  Liberty differs from freedom in that it exists only within a social context;  where there is law and the enforcement of rights.

Liberty, Freedom, and Agency are three of the grand keys upon which the Lord's plan of salvation is predicated.  To the extent that any of them are reduced, we become limited in our ability to act and become like our Father in Heaven.

EXAMPLES

In Life is Beautiful, a father and his son are confined in a Nazi concentration camp.  They have no liberty, and their freedom is severely constrained.  Yet we see the father , Guido, acting through the use of his agency.  He makes deliberate choices as to how he will behave and view the deplorable situation he finds himself in.  Guido finds joys to share with his son.  His actions increase his freedom that others are trying to deny them.  The father is able to shield his son from many of the harsh "realities" of their situation and to an extent remake their world.  While liberty is lacking, agency is expressed, and therein freedom is found.

The almost exact opposite story is told in the Count of Monte Cristo.  Edmund is imprisoned unjustly, stripping him of all his liberty.  He falls into despair, sacrificing his what little freedom remains to him to the bonds of despondency, anger, and fear.  Contact with the priest brings a measure of hope, prompting action, which leads to his escape and eventual acquirement of great wealth.  Edmund has been restored to his prior level of liberty, enhanced greatly in status and property.  It would appear as though his freedom to act has also been fully restored, perhaps even increased.  However, upon discovering the circumstances of his betrayal, Edmund shackles himself to revenge.  He cannot forgive, he cannot progress.  He becomes a creature of wrath, bereft of any sort of freedom which is shattered on the alters of his bitterness.  He becomes so embroiled with hate that he is no longer able to direct his agency.  Restored to liberty, he sells his freedom.

While freedom may be rejected in the presence of liberty, and some portion of freedom can exist when stripped of liberty, the impact and extent of use of either is dependent on agency.  The imperative then becomes to maximize the potential, use, and power of agency.  We must understand how to use agency, and what we are to accomplish with it.  Only in an environment of maximum liberty are we fully able to comprehend and utilize the full extent of our agency.  If we truly desire to become as our Father, we should earnestly strive to come to a knowledge of true principles of liberty, and then implement them, thus instituting freedom so we can act.  The pursuit of liberty is the noblest quest of  human society.