Meaning
Liberty means absence of restraint. It means freedom for the members of a particular state to pursue what they like.
Liberty means the power to act in a particular way so long as it does not not curtail similar powers of others. We have liberty to do a certain thing, when there is no other person or body of persons to prevent us from doing it.
Liberty is, therefore, no mere idle right; it imposes on man a responsibility as well. It should impel him to do the right and restrain him from doing the wrong. Thus, Liberty is not license or disregard of all laws and customs. We must strive, along with others, to further the common good.
Importance of Liberty
Liberty is essential for the full development of a man’s faculties. Nature has endowed man with certain abilities and faculties in order that he might develop his individuality. For this he must have ample freedom. No avenue of life should be closed to him he should be denied no opportunity for utilizing his natural gifts, for the highest development of his personality. A nation is composed of individuals and if every individual is given equal freedom to cultivate his faculties, our corporate life will be greatly enriched.
If we prevent others from doing a particular thing that we like to do myself, we are guilty of curtailing the liberty of others. That action on our part is clearly unjustifiable; for liberty is not the monopoly of any one person. We should not, therefore, act in a way that might hinder others from pursuing a course of action we ourselves would like to pursue. We must act upon the principle – ‘Do unto others as you would be done by’.
Liberty is necessary in order that a person may be in a position to develop his personality. But unless he strives to develop his faculties to the fullest extent to attain his best self, his liberty would become meaningless. God does not want that the abilities he has bestowed on us should remain unused. If we do not make the utmost use of our freedom and utilize the opportunities that freedom offers to us, we shall be wasting our natural abilities. Our liberty, therefore, enjoins a duty on us – the duty of developing our own personality.
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