FREEDOM
8-4-25 SESSION
Freedom is often claimed but rarely examined. In this conversation, a diverse group of thinkers and practitioners explored freedom not as a fixed ideal, but as something organic—always in the act of creation, reimagination, and re-creation. Participants reflected on the freedoms they’ve known, the ones they’ve lost, and the hidden costs that often go unnoticed—whether those costs come in the form of societal expectations, addiction, disconnection, or silence. At times, freedom emerged as a deeply personal experience; at others, it was tangled in politics, history, trauma, or inherited privilege. The tension between structure and autonomy surfaced again and again, raising the question: can freedom exist without form?
What became clear is that when freedom is under construction, it can feel like deconstruction—especially when long-standing assumptions are challenged or symbols are reinterpreted. Throughout the dialogue, participants wrestled with the way freedom can be weaponized, the myths we hold about who gets to be free, and the quiet responsibilities that come with it. They posed questions to the very idea of freedom, asking what it expects of us, how it changes across contexts, and whether the freedoms we defend also expand the dignity and safety of others.
In this exchange, emotional clarity met practical insight. Freedom was not treated as a relic to be preserved, but as a living practice—one that is shaped by our choices, our cooperation, and our courage to rebuild when it fractures. The Freedom Fast invites you to step into that practice: to pause, reflect, and engage with a more conscious kind of liberty. One grounded not in slogans, but in shared humanity and the work of creating together what none of us can hold alone.
Key Themes:
The conversation on freedom revealed that this concept is far more complex than patriotic slogans or political ideals. Through personal stories and collective reflection, four key themes emerged—challenging assumptions, exposing contradictions, and opening space for deeper understanding. These themes offer a foundation for rethinking how freedom is experienced, shared, and practiced today.
Freedom as Structure and Flow
Many participants challenged the assumption that freedom is synonymous with lack of structure. Instead, they suggested that true freedom may require boundaries, systems, or intentional design. Whether shaped through personal discipline, social frameworks, or cultural rituals, the idea emerged that freedom isn’t the absence of form—it’s often found within it.
The Cost of Freedom
Throughout the conversation, there was an underlying recognition that freedom is never free. Stories of activism, overwork, internal conflict, and personal loss reminded the group that freedom—whether external or internal—requires sacrifice. This theme brought forward the idea that claiming freedom often demands giving something up, and that discernment is needed to know when the cost is worth it.
False Narratives and Conditional Access
The group confronted the reality that freedom is not distributed equally. Reflections surfaced on how race, immigration status, gender, and ideology shape who gets to feel free—and who doesn’t. Participants named the danger of conflating patriotism with possession of freedom, and expressed concern over how easily rights can be revoked under the guise of moral or political certainty.
Inner Freedom and Psychological Barriers
Several participants named the quiet prisons built from expectation, fear, addiction, and internalized pressure. The conversation surfaced the idea that even when external conditions permit freedom, individuals can remain trapped by their own mindsets or unresolved emotional patterns. This led to deeper inquiry into the kind of freedom that lives inside the self—and how that, too, must be cultivated.
As you explore these visual symbols of the conversation, where do you recognize your own thoughts or those of others within its narrative?
What symbols within the artwork speak to you, and what stories do you think they're trying to tell?
In what ways does the art challenge or expand your current perspectives on belonging?
How do the contradictions and paradoxes illustrated in the art resonate with your understanding or experience with belonging?
A CLOSER LOOK AT SYMBOLOGY
The Circle of Light
This image gathers the essence of the Freedom Conversation into a single moment. A diverse circle of people sit together, each holding a lantern of different colored glass, yet all glowing with the same warm light. At the center, a fire burns not with wood, but with the word FREEDOM, its flames rising toward the night sky. Around this shared hearth, acts of care and responsibility unfold — some study a map, seeking direction; others carefully mend a worn flag, uncertain if the stitching will unite or unravel; all offer their light to sustain the flame. In the distance, the Statue of Liberty stands watch, a quiet reminder of ideals yet to be fully realized. Lanterns lift into the sky like prayers, while a dove rises into the dawn. It is a vision of freedom as something built, repaired, and carried together — not inherited or guaranteed, but renewed by many hands.
Reflection Questions:
Conceptual
What does it mean that the flame of “FREEDOM” is fed by the light each person brings?
How does the act of repairing, planning, and illuminating coexist in sustaining freedom?
If some carry maps, others mend, and others simply bring light — which role feels most like yours right now?
Relational
Who in your life has offered you their “lantern” — their light, guidance, or sacrifice — to help you move toward freedom?
Which relationships in your life need mending for the flame to burn brighter?
How can you honor the different roles people play in protecting and nurturing freedom, even if their work looks different from yours?
Personal
What is the “light” you bring to the circle, and how consistently are you offering it?
What part of the “flag” — the shared vision of your community or nation — are you willing to help repair?
What would it mean for you to sit closer to the flame?
The Bridge We Become
This image captures the heart of the Freedom conversation: the idea that freedom is not inherited—it’s built. The broken circle represents the fracture in our national story: injustice, exclusion, and division. Yet, not all fractures are visible on the surface. Some are born from the division itself—the mistrust, fear, and dehumanization that deepen the gap long after the initial break.
Across that gap walks a human chain—people holding hands, becoming the very bridge they need. It’s an image of shared responsibility, where healing comes not from erasing differences but from finding the courage to stand together in tension, in truth, and in hope. To become the bridge is to carry weight together, to face the discomfort of difference without letting go, and to believe that the act of linking arms can be stronger than the forces that pull us apart.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
Beyond visible injustice, exclusion, or division, what are the fractures within the fractures—the mistrust, assumptions, and fears—that deepen the divide long after the initial break?
How might the act of division itself create new and more entrenched wounds?
If we only repair the visible break but ignore the hidden ones, what remains unresolved?
Relational
Who in your life represents a part of the “other side” of the gap for you? What would it require for you to take a step toward them?
What does it mean to stand together “in tension” without erasing differences? How might that look in your relationships or community?
What bridges have you seen others build that inspire you?
Personal
Where in your own life are you being called to help become the bridge?
What personal cost or discomfort might come with linking arms across a divide—and what might be gained?
What strengths, resources, or experiences do you carry that could help bear the shared weight of connection?
Tied Together, Pulled Apart
This symbol captures the living tension explored in the Freedom conversation: that freedom does not mean sameness, and unity does not require agreement. These threads—some frayed, some taut, some twisted—represent beliefs, identities, histories, and hopes. They pull in different directions. And yet, they hold. This image asks us to resist the urge to simplify. Instead, it invites us to imagine freedom not as a clean braid, but as a binding of differences strong enough to carry shared weight.
Reflection Questions:
Conceptual
What does it mean to stay bound together when we’re being pulled in different directions?
Relational
What tensions am I currently holding—or avoiding—in my relationships, community, or nation?
Personal
Which threads am I tightening, and which ones am I letting fray? Why?
The Open Cage
This image reflects one of the most challenging truths surfaced in the Freedom conversation: many forms of captivity are self-imposed. The open door shows that nothing physical holds the figure inside—yet they remain, perhaps out of fear, habit, or a belief that stepping out is unsafe. The cage becomes both a symbol of external oppression and an internal state of mind, shaped by the stories we tell ourselves.
Not all prisons are built from bars of steel. Some are constructed from mistrust, resentment, or a refusal to see the humanity in those with whom we disagree. In this way, the fracture is not just “out there” in the systems or structures—it’s also “in here” within our own hearts and minds. Freedom, in this light, is not simply the removal of barriers but the courage to step into a larger space, to risk vulnerability, and to embrace the responsibilities that come with it.
The image invites us to consider whether we are most free when we are free of hate, division, and the narratives that keep us separate. In the context of the Freedom Fast, the open cage asks: what might become possible if we used this pause to see the stories we carry more clearly, and to release the ones that divide us?
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
Beyond visible oppression, what are the “invisible bars” that can keep us inside a cage even when the door is open?
How might the division itself—mutual mistrust, dehumanization, or contempt—be a prison we help to maintain?
If we stepped outside only in body but not in mindset, would we truly be free?
Relational
In your relationships or community, where might you or others be staying inside a “cage” out of fear, mistrust, or habit?
What would it take to step toward someone you’ve held at a distance, and what might be gained?
How could freeing yourself from an old story help you build trust with others?
Personal
What is one “bar” in your own life—a limiting belief, assumption, or resentment—that you are ready to let go of?
How might you use the Freedom Fast to gain the clarity and courage to step through an open door?
What would it mean for you to live outside the cage, fully and without reservation?
Windows Into the Heart
In every life, there are moments we live in full view and others we keep behind glass. Some windows open to connection and action; others hold quiet, solitude, or even distance. Each view is shaped by where we stand, what we’ve known, and the light that happens to be falling on us in that moment.
The Freedom conversation revealed how differently freedom is experienced—sometimes as movement and voice, sometimes as reflection and stillness, sometimes as responsibility carried in public, and sometimes as a deeply personal journey. When we see only from our own vantage point, the view is partial. But when we risk looking into someone else’s, we begin to see a more complete landscape of what it means to live free.
This image invites you to consider the frames that shape your perspective and the courage it might take to widen them—or to allow someone else to see into your world.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
How does the “frame” you look through—your experiences, beliefs, and assumptions—shape what you see as freedom?
What is lost when we only look through our own window?
How might freedom itself be incomplete if we never risk looking into another’s?
Relational
Whose perspective on freedom feels most unfamiliar to you, and what would it take to see through their window?
What happens in relationships when we not only share our view but truly receive another’s?
Where in your life could you stand side-by-side with someone to see the same view together?
Personal
Which “window” in your own life feels open right now, and which remain closed?
What would it take to widen your view or invite someone else to see what you see?
How might your own sense of freedom change if you allowed your heart to be more visible?
The Scales of Freedom
Participants expressed how freedom shows up in music, celebration, and speech as living expressions of freedom, powerful and deeply human. They spoke of songs that challenge injustice, artists who call people together, and public gatherings that keep history alive. From Mt. Joy’s Sheep to the rallying voice of Bob Marley, from the vibrancy of Juneteenth celebrations to the protection of free expression, these moments show freedom as something we actively create and share.
Yet, they also acknowledged another truth: freedom can be used as a label or shield to justify actions that harm or divide. The same space that nurtures connection and courage can, if misused, become a stage for selfishness or disregard. Freedom, then, is not only a gift—it’s a responsibility to balance personal expression with the well-being of others.
The scales hold these realities in tension: one side lifted by the art, voices, and celebrations that unite; the other weighted by the temptation to use freedom without regard for its impact. The image asks us to consider what we each add to the balance—and how our choices tip it toward a more generous and shared freedom.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
What do these cultural expressions—music, celebration, public speech—reveal about the values we attach to freedom?
How can the same freedom that unites also be used to divide or harm?
What does it mean to keep these forces in balance?
Relational
How have you seen music, art, or public gatherings bring people together across differences?
Where have you seen freedom of expression used in ways that strain relationships or erode trust?
How can communities hold one another accountable for the freedoms they share?
Personal
What is one way you express your freedom that strengthens connection?
Where might you need to weigh your own freedoms against the needs or well-being of others?
How do you want your contribution to tip the scales?
Chains & Wings
Participants described religion as both liberating and limiting—a source of purpose, meaning, and openness, and yet, at times, a system that can constrain, control, or divide. Some spoke of faith traditions that invite the letting go of false perceptions, opening the way to see the world more clearly. Others acknowledged that religion, when not freely given or practiced, can become a closed door, locking out both questions and growth.
Chains and Wings captures this tension. The wings rise from the center—symbols of the human spirit’s longing to lift into compassion, truth, and service. Yet the chains remain, tangled at the base, representing fear, dogma, and the misuse of faith to dominate rather than to liberate. The image holds both: the potential of belief to set us free and the risk that it can be wielded to hold us down.
The invitation is to notice where our faith—personal or communal—lifts us toward greater freedom, and where it binds us in ways that diminish the humanity of ourselves or others. True freedom of religion is not just the right to worship or not worship—it is the freedom to open the door for others as we walk through it ourselves.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
In what ways can religion or faith be a source of both liberation and restriction?
What “chains” might exist within a tradition that otherwise calls people to love and compassion?
How can freedom of religion be protected while ensuring it doesn’t become a tool for harm?
Relational
How has faith (yours or another’s) been a bridge in your relationships—and how has it been a barrier?
What could it look like to use your faith to “set others free” rather than just yourself?
Who might need you to open a door for them, even if their beliefs differ from yours?
Personal
What “wings” in your own faith or worldview give you the courage to live more freely?
What “chains” might still keep you from that freedom?
How might you begin loosening those chains, for yourself and for others?
Threads of Democracy
Democracy is held together by the hands willing to work on its fabric. Some mend with care, stitching torn seams and reinforcing worn edges. Others, intentionally or not, pull at the threads—sometimes because they see a flaw that needs removing, sometimes because they believe the whole cloth must be rewoven. From one angle, the same action can look like repair; from another, it can look like destruction.
Threads of Democracy invites us to wrestle with this tension. In political and social life, motives are not always clear, and perspectives can turn the same gesture into opposite meanings. What one person views as an act of preservation, another may see as an unraveling of what they hold dear. The truth is that democracy’s fabric is always in motion—fraying in some places, strengthening in others—depending on who takes up the work and how they choose to engage.
The question is not only whether we are adding stitches or pulling them out, but how we might recognize that we are often doing both. To be part of a democracy is to decide, together, which threads are worth keeping and which must give way to make the whole stronger.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
How can the same action in politics or civic life be seen as repair by some and destruction by others?
What determines whether a “thread” strengthens or weakens the fabric of democracy?
How do we navigate moments when both repair and unraveling happen at the same time?
Relational
When have you disagreed with someone about whether a change was helping or harming your community?
How can people with opposing views still work on the same piece of democratic fabric?
Who do you trust to decide which threads to keep and which to replace?
Personal
In the current political climate, do you see your actions as stitching, pulling, or both? Why?
What “threads” do you feel responsible for protecting?
Where might you need to loosen your grip on a thread for the greater strength of the whole?
The Shape of Productive Freedom
Not all freedoms are equal in their impact. Some open pathways for creativity, cooperation, and shared progress; others can isolate, disrupt, or consume. When participants were asked what kind of freedom is most productive, the answers revealed a balance—freedom that invites responsibility, considers the needs of the whole, and creates conditions for everyone to thrive.
Some spoke of sacrifice: that productive freedom often requires giving something up, whether it’s personal convenience, absolute autonomy, or the urge to control. Others framed it as structured freedom—space to move and act, but with the guardrails that allow communities to function without collapsing into chaos. This is not the unrestrained “I do what I want” kind of liberty, but the cultivated freedom that grows when people agree to work together, even across differences.
The Shape of Productive Freedom asks us to consider: when we claim freedom for ourselves, are we expanding the capacity for others to flourish—or narrowing it? It invites reflection on how our personal liberty is tied to the shared well-being of the communities we inhabit.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
What makes a freedom “productive” rather than simply desirable?
How can freedom be both personal and structured without losing its essence?
In what ways can one person’s freedom increase—or limit—another’s?
Relational
When have you experienced freedom being used to build cooperation rather than division?
How do you navigate the tension between individual freedom and collective responsibility?
What would it look like for a community to design freedom that works for all its members?
Personal
Which of your freedoms do you use most productively, and how?
Where might your own freedom unintentionally limit someone else’s?
What’s one step you could take to make your freedom more constructive for others?
The Compass of Many Norths
Freedom does not point in a single, unquestioned direction. Each person’s “true north” is shaped by their values, histories, and visions for the future. At times, these compasses align; at other times, they pull in opposing directions, creating a map filled with intersecting, diverging, and overlapping paths. The Compass of Many Norths asks us to see freedom not as a destination everyone reaches the same way, but as a journey that must navigate competing bearings while still finding enough shared direction to move forward together.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
What determines your “north” when it comes to freedom?
How do we move forward when our compasses point in different directions?
Is there a shared direction that can hold multiple truths at once?
Relational
Who in your life has a compass that points differently from yours? How do you walk alongside them?
When have you adjusted your direction to move with a group or community?
Personal
If you could recalibrate your compass for the sake of collective freedom, what would that look like?
What happens when you realize your north might not be everyone’s north?
Blindfolds & The Myths We Hold
Some ideas about freedom are so familiar they feel unquestionable—until we examine them closely. When asked what others might assume about freedom and get wrong, responses revealed a shared unease with oversimplifications.
One common myth is that freedom means “I can do whatever I want” without considering its impact on others. Another is the belief that being right—about politics, religion, or values—gives us permission to limit someone else’s freedom. For some, the mistake lies in thinking freedom is unconditional, when in reality it often exists within structure, sacrifice, and mutual agreement. Others noted the danger of equating patriotism with unrestrained individualism, forgetting that freedom is sustained by cooperation and shared responsibility.
The Myths We Hold asks us to notice the invisible assumptions that shape our conversations and choices. It challenges us to ask whether the freedom we defend is expansive enough to hold the dignity, safety, and voice of those we disagree with—or whether it quietly closes the door to them.
Reflection Questions
Conceptual
What’s the difference between absolute freedom and sustainable freedom?
How do assumptions about being “right” influence how we treat others’ freedoms?
In what ways can freedom without responsibility lead to harm?
Relational
When have you seen someone use their freedom in a way that limited someone else’s?
How might your own assumptions about freedom differ from those around you?
How do we talk across these differences without losing trust?
Personal
Which of your beliefs about freedom have you never questioned?
What assumptions might you need to revisit to make your freedom more inclusive?
How can you use your freedom in a way that expands it for others?
Rising Lights
This scene invites the viewer to consider how light — whether in the form of truth, courage, or compassion — changes the space it enters. Lanterns drift upward into the night, each carrying its own small sphere of warmth, yet together they create something far greater than any single flame could achieve.
The image beckons us to ask: what light am I bringing, and how might it join with others to make freedom visible where shadows have fallen? It suggests that the work of illuminating the way forward is not the task of one, but the shared offering of many.
Surprising Discoveries:
The conversation on freedom disrupted easy answers. What began as a dialogue about a familiar ideal quickly turned into something more personal, more unsettled. Stories of grief, protest, burnout, and belonging revealed that freedom isn’t something we simply have—it’s something we wrestle with, lose, reclaim, and redefine. What participants uncovered was often unexpected, and in many cases, deeply human.
Freedom Is Often Felt Most When It's Gone
Moments of confinement—physical, emotional, or psychological—revealed the sharpest awareness of freedom. In losing it, participants gained a deeper understanding of its value and fragility.
Younger Perspectives Brought Unexpected Depth
Rather than idealism, youth voices offered grounded, complex reflections on structure, responsibility, and systemic limits—inviting the group to reimagine freedom with fresh eyes.
Letting Go Can Be Liberating
Acts of release, whether intentional or accidental, sparked unexpected feelings of relief and clarity. This reframed freedom not as gaining more, but as shedding what no longer serves.
We Know Less About Freedom Than We Think
When asked to define freedom, participants uncovered contradictions, tensions, and blind spots. What first felt obvious quickly became nuanced and unsettled, prompting more questions than answers.
Freedom Can Be a Shield—and a Weapon
While many spoke of freedom as a source of dignity and expression, what remained largely unspoken was how often “freedom” is used to justify harm. The same word that protects protest can be used to excuse cruelty. The same ideal that inspires sacrifice can also enable selfishness. This paradox—freedom as both shield and weapon—challenges us to ask not just what we are free to do, but who is affected when we do it.
THE MULTARITIES OF
FREEDOM
Freedom didn’t arrive in this conversation as a banner or a slogan—it showed up as contradiction, tension, and lived experience. What emerged wasn’t a single definition, but a layered understanding shaped by grief, joy, protest, privilege, and personal awakening. Rather than flatten the contradictions, the group stayed with them. And from that discomfort came clarity: freedom is not one thing—it’s many things, held together in fragile, necessary tension. These seven multarities reveal just how complex—and human—freedom really is.
Freedom as Structure and Flow
Some found freedom in openness, movement, and spontaneity. Others found it in structure—legal protections, spiritual disciplines, or social norms. Freedom, in this view, isn't the absence of form but the ability to move meaningfully within it.
Freedom as Privilege and Absence
While a few participants acknowledged never having experienced real restrictions on their freedom, others spoke of displacement, systemic control, and silencing. This multarity reminded the group that freedom often depends on where you’re standing—and that for some, it remains out of reach.
Freedom as Claimed and Given
Is freedom something you claim, or something you’re granted? Some spoke of “finding” or “choosing” freedom even in constraining systems. Others emphasized the importance of policy, access, and protection. Both views challenged assumptions about how freedom is earned—or denied.
Freedom as Celebration and Grief
There were stories of freedom as joy, beauty, and creative power. But just as many stories described loss: of rights, of dignity, of belonging. Freedom was felt in both the dancing and the mourning—each revealing something real.
Freedom as Individual and Shared
Several reflections focused on personal liberation—freedom from addiction, anxiety, or expectation. Others described freedom as relational: something built together, protected in community, and extended to others. These perspectives pushed against hyper-individualism in favor of interdependence.
Freedom as Voice and Silence
Some participants experienced freedom through the ability to speak, vote, create, or dissent. Others found it in stillness, privacy, or spiritual letting go. The freedom to express and the freedom to retreat were both present, even if they pull in opposite directions.
Freedom as Stability and Disruption
For some, freedom meant continuity—being able to live, move, and believe without interference. For others, it meant interruption—questioning norms, resisting systems, or breaking free from roles. Both stability and disruption were seen as essential to the practice of freedom.
OVERFLOW
We invite you to click on the images below to view them larger. As you explore these additional images, consider the conversations that may have shaped them. What moments, insights, or tensions do you recognize? Where do you find traces of yourself and your own story within them?
First Impressions
What drew your attention first when looking at these pieces?
How might this symbology connect to something you’ve experienced during the session?
Exploring Meaning & Symbolism
What symbols or metaphors stand out to you? What meanings might they hold?
How might this symbology connect to something you’ve experienced during the session or the conversation today?
How does this piece help us think differently or more deeply about the theme we're exploring?
Personal Resonance & Reflection
Which emotions does this symbology evoke for you?
Does this symbology/art shift your perspective on the issue we’re discussing? How?
How do you see yourself or your experiences reflected in the piece?
Dialogue & Group Reflection
How might someone from a completely different perspective interpret this artwork?
Where do you see points of unity or tension within this piece?
If this artwork could speak, what might it be asking or telling us as a community?
Moving Beyond Polarization
What symbols or elements in this piece illustrate the complexity of our issue?
How could reflecting on this symbology/art help us build greater empathy or understanding across divides?
In what ways might this symbology/art represent a Multarity—multiple truths existing simultaneously?
Towards Collective Insight
What new questions does this piece invite us to consider together?
How can the insights we gain from these symbols inform our next steps or actions as a group?
What wisdom do these symbols offer us about finding common ground or deeper connection?
SIDE NOTE
Symbols Aren’t Static
Symbols are not static—they are living mirrors that reflect the values, histories, and hopes of the people who see them. The same flag can stir pride in one heart, grief in another, and a demand for change in a third. The Statue of Liberty can be a beacon of refuge, a monument to national heritage, or a rallying cry against exclusion. A raised fist can mean solidarity, provocation, or liberation, depending on who is watching and why.
These meanings are shaped by lived experience, political context, and cultural memory. They can unify or divide, inspire or alienate—not because the symbol itself changes, but because the stories we attach to it do. In conversations about freedom, acknowledging these layered and sometimes conflicting interpretations is not a weakness; it’s the starting point for deeper dialogue.
