What does freedom with responsibility mean to you?

To me, freedom with responsibility means that freedom can be easily misused, and therefore requires some extent of control. With more freedom, one has more opportunity to do things, and these things may be harmful. Because of this, one has to be responsible and use their freedom to do things that are acceptable. For example, as US citizens, we are given the right to bear arms. We could use that right responsibly, and use it for self protection, but we could also just as easily use them to harm others. Because of this increased leeway, we must control ourselves and be responsible enough to use this freedom wisely. Simply put, with many more opportunities, one must make sure these opportunities aren't abused.

"Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect." -  Eleanor Roosevelt

 

This quote really helps enforce the concept of freedom with responsibility. As Eleanor Roosevelt states, one must be able to carry their own 'weight'. Freedom directly correlates with power. Power is a much more comprehensible force, one that can be easily used wisely or poorly. So with freedom, one attains power, and the individual must be capable of carrying the 'weight' of the responsibility.

"The first way of looking at this is to just look at it as a gateway to do whatever one feels like and not be responsible with their life. However, the second way of looking at this is to use it as a gateway to having more freedom, yet also be responsible, not just with education, but with life in general." - George Frey

George really helps put the idea into perspective. He breaks it down into two possibilities, one of absolutely no control, and one of recognizing responsibility. With these two viewpoints put next to each other, we can really understand why freedom comes with responsibility. Responsibility controls all the bad things that can be done with freedom.