is
being able to do whatever we want.

This includes being how we want to be. This includes not having anything forced on us against our will. This includes being free from desire itself. The opposite of freedom is tyranny.

Tyranny can be active and overt, or subtle and passive. The fundamental, defining feature of tyranny is excessive power. To us as lovers of freedom, any power that can be used to violate someone’s freedom is “excessive” and is a violation of freedom in its own right.

We use the term ‘violence’ as an umbrella word for any active violation of freedom, such as oppression, slavery, imprisonment, or rape.

Violence is the act. Tyranny is the power.

“But by your definition, even just existing is tyrannical!”
It can be. One may kill by virtue of having hands. But power isn’t just the easily measured, it’s also intention and self-control. When someone is trustworthy they’re not a threat to our freedom no matter how much physical power they have.

People don’t want to be oppressors and commit violence, they’re simply ugly ‘means to an end’ to achieve what they want. See the section ‘None are free until all are free’ to learn why we believe neglecting another’s plight isn’t just dismissive of their values, but also one’s own.

“But people can be slaves to their desires!”
One can only be enslaved by a desire if it isn’t something they truly want. Slavery is defined as involuntary servitude. Freedom, by our definition, is the opposite of desire slavery.

The free-minded vs the slave-minded

Speaking of desire slavery, one who is a slave to their desires can be said to be slave-minded. One who consciously values freedom above all else is free-minded.

A slave isn’t necessarily aware of their slavery. Like a false promise of fair monetary compensation dangled in front of someone to keep them working, desire-objects are touted as the key to happiness. Even the “spiritual” among us fall victim to the trap, though their desires are more emotional or abstract than material. The true desire – freedom – is hidden beneath layers of attachment to desire-objects, and one is hopelessly lost in the matrix for as long as they ignore the true exit.

Img: Example of desire attachment. The cake is a lie.

We don’t claim to offer a quick or easy escape from the matrix. There’s no red pill. The desire for instant gratification is perhaps one of the most powerful tools of manipulation, with many belief systems claiming to offer freedom in this life or the next, or even instantly with enough self-delusion. The individual who follows the principle of Buddhist enlightenment or “law of attraction” manifestation may find themselves sincerely convinced they’ve achieved the ultimate goal of freedom, but true freedom is universal and enduring, as we explain in the next segment.

None are free until all are free.