Freedom
First listen and then answer the questions.
1. What is the real meaning of freedom?
2. How to obtain such freedom?
It is not only true that most people entirely misunderstand Freedom, but I sometimes think I have not yet met one person who rightly understands it. The whole Universe is absolute Law. To the degraded or undeveloped—and even to too many others—the thought of freedom is a thought of escaping from law—which, of course, is impossible. More precious than all worldly riches is Freedom—freedom from the painful constipation and poor narrowness of ecclesiasticism—freedom in manners, habiliments, furniture, from the silliness and tyranny of local fashions—entire freedom from party rings and mere conventions in Politics—and better than all, a general freedom of oneself from the tyrannic domination of vices, habits, appetites, under which nearly every man of us, (often the greatest brawler for freedom), is enslaved. Can we attain such enfranchisement—the true Democracy, and the height of it? While we are from birth to death the subjects of irresistible law, enclosing every movement and minute, we yet escape, by a paradox, into true free will. Strange as it may seem, we only attain to freedom by a knowledge of, and implicit obedience to Law. Great—unspeakably great—is the Will! The free Soul of man! At its greatest, understanding and obeying the laws, it can then, and then only, maintain true liberty.For there is to the highest, that law as absolute as any—more absolute than any—the Law of Liberty. The shallow, as intimated, consider liberty a release from all law, from every constraint. The wise see in it, on the contrary, the potent law of Laws, namely, the fusion and combination of the conscious will, or partial individual law, with those universal, eternal, unconscious ones, which run through all Time, pervade history, prove immortality, give moral purpose to the entire objective world, and the last dignity to human life.
大部分人不仅彻底曲解了“自由”的含义，更可怕的是，我有时觉得还没有见过一个能恰当了解“自由”的人。整个宇宙是一个亘古不变的法则。对于堕落和愚昧无知的人，甚至芸芸众生来说，自由就是避开法律，而这肯定是不能实现的。比世俗的所有财富更珍贵的是自由，自由意味着从教会神学的痛苦禁闭和悲观的狭隘中脱离出来；自由意味着在礼仪、服饰、家具上的随心所欲；自由意味着从地方流行的愚蠢和束缚中脱离出来；自由意味着彻彻底底从党派小圈子和政治运作的旧例中脱离出来；其中最为重要的是，当我们每个人差不多都（我们常常大声叫喊着要自由）受控于罪恶、恶习、欲望时，自由意味着自我从奴役的严酷压迫中彻底脱离出来。
我们可以获得这样的自由吗？自由是真正的民主，高度的民主。从出生到死亡，这无法阻挡的法则都在束缚着我们，束缚着我们的一举一动、分分秒秒。可是，说起来有些矛盾，我们却一直想方设法要摆脱拥有真正的自由意志。奇怪的是，唯有学习法则并默默地服从法则，我们才能获得自由。意志是伟大的!人类自由的灵魂是伟大的！伟大得无法形容。当意志力达到完美，理解并服从法则，那时候，仅仅是那时候，人们才能获得真正的自由。这是因为自由的法则无比高尚，同其他法则一样绝对，不，比其他法则还要绝对。肤浅的人认为自由意味着从一切法则的约束中脱离出来。而智者则截然相反，他们从中意识到了威力无穷的众法之法，它是有意识的意志力、局部的个人准则与通用的、持久的、没有意识的法则的融合。而这种法则经历了所有时代，写进了整个历史，被证明是恒久不变的。这种法则为整个客观世界指明了道德方向，为人类的生活保证了最后的尊严。
自由比一切财富更为珍贵！芸芸众生，不渴望生活的自由，心灵的自由，行动的自由？我们无时无刻不在想方设法摆脱一切世俗的束缚，寻求真正的自由。然而，只有理解并服从法则，才能获得真正的自由。自由——这自然界恒久不变的至高法则，在冥冥之中，为整个客观世界指明了道德方向。
如果小鸟拥有一片天空，就能自由飞翔；如果小树拥有一片天空，就能茁壮成长；而人类，如果拥有一片宽广的天空，就能充分展现自我，探究创造，实现理想……自由，是每一个人都向往的。自由，是每一个人都应该要追求的。
Learning for Better Understanding
Keywords and expressions
1. tyranny
作名词：暴政
例：Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endures his torment willingly.
爱情是甜蜜的专横，因为爱人乐意忍受这些折磨。
2. irresistible
作形容词：不可抵抗的
例：I cannot refuse this offer; it is irresistible.
这一提议我无法拒绝，太“诱人”了。
Practicing for Better Learning
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading
text?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
(1) While we are from birth to death the subjects of irresistible law, enclosing every movement and minute, we yet escape, by a paradox, into true free will.
(2) The shallow, as intimated, doesn’t consider liberty a release from all law, from every constraint
Chunks in Practice
Listen to the following passage twice and then fill in the blanks with
appropriate words.
1. It is not only true that most people misunderstand Freedom, but I sometimes think I have not yet met one person who rightly it.
2. While we are from birth to death the of irresistible law, enclosing every movement and minute, we yet , by a paradox, into true free will.