Throughout history, we have been willing to fight and die for freedom. Why ?
Human beings have been willing to fight and die for freedom. Yes; that is the essence of history. Where freedom fails or is denied man is willing to fight and die; history is replete with examples. The countries which have found freedom newly have had to fight against the erstwhile colonial rule. The fight is still on in some countries even today.
Why is this fight happening ? This is a psychological question. A boy does not allow another boy to sit in his place in the classroom; a casual traveler in a bus or train claims his place; a child does not allow another child to touch its playthings. At the bottom of all this lies the sense of ownership, temporarily or otherwise. Ownership and acquisitive tendency go together. What has been acquired and owned must be saved and protected and when the ownership is in danger fight ensues. This is a basic animal instinct and man has not reached a magnanimous stage, in spite of his long sojourn on earth, to overcome this basic instinct. The ideal socialistic state is only a pipe dream and whether the world will reach that stage at all is anybody's guess.
Another factor that leads to this sort of fight or revolt is the opposition to the imposition of authority from outside. We see children singing or playing on their own accord. But when someone asks them to do it again they feel shy or don't want to do it. In the case of a country it may even do things leading to its own destruction. Even then it would not like an external interference. In the name of human sympathy some Western nations deliberately impose their will on another nation and are now paying a heavy penalty for it.
Freedom is very precious. It cannot be decided on the battlefield. Freedom is essential for natural growth. A creeper always moves towards light and air. However much one tries to turn it the other way, it will always strive to seek light; so with people. They want to be free as the bird in the air. The spirit of 'Who are you to tell me?', is always within us.
The sense of being and feeling free is fundamental to make life worthwhile and hence man has always been fighting for it. But there cannot be absolute freedom.
magnanimous very kind and generous towards an enemy or someone you have defeated
sojourn a short period when a person stays in a particular place
pipe dream an idea or plan that is impossible or very unlikely to happen
