What is true freedom ?

I'm asking this question of myself after engaging in a debate with some friends. The debate was on political ideologies - democracy, capitalism ,communism and all the variations we have today. I, for one, is a strong supporter of democracy and more so capitalism. Capitalism does to a society something similar to what mom used to do to us when we were kids - 'Look at how well behaved that girl next door is... ' and lo, I started behaving well too..
I presume you know what I mean.

Capitalism brings in competition. It puts in challenges, it churns the best from the huge melting pot, so to speak. And we all know, how these handful change our lives.

Some say, democracy doesnt work for a country like ours. Because we dont deserve it. Partially right. At 60 years, our country is still like a bunch of unruly kids who have to be whipped to be disciplined. But wait,thats not what democracy is, in the first place. It defines freedom to choose in a nutshell, however it does not impose!
It just lays rules and rules for breaking those rules, but it doesnt enforce. Atleast not in the strictest sense. Because of its true definition, it still gives a criminal, a defaulter, a chance. A chance to plead! A chance to get away ! (this is the saddest part of democracy) But to blame an ideology that stands on freedom for this very reason is not fair. This is my opinion. Because, I live in a society that has given me the freedom to live life on my terms so long as those terms dont affect another's existence.I love this freedom because it lets me work,be intellectual,creative, entertaining ,empathatic and more. And to blame democracy just because a few misuse it is wrong.

What if I were to lose all this tomorrow and be asked to follow certain principles that I dont subscribe to ? Some of those that appear socially just but unfair to the hard working,skilled population like mine ? What if I were asked to donate half of my salary to someone who is unemployed just because that person does not want to work ? What if my salary was never increased simply because some lawyer somewhere was making only so much ? What if my creative talents were not paid off simply because 90% of the society was not creative ? What if educational standards were reduced to keep eveyone at bay ? What if I had to pay 60% income tax while someone else paid only 30% ? What if I had to donate 5% of my income to a youth who was begging simply because he is too lazy to work ? What if entertainment was regulated ? What if we were asked to stop playing sports because we need that money to be invested elsewhere ? What if defence was not so important ?

Did I lose my freedom here ? My friend would say no because he thinks so long as I have enough to eat and survive, it is OK! So long as my money is going to make everyone well-fed and well-clothed, such rules are fine, he would say!

What happens to me ? What happens to this society ? Would there be motivation ? Would anyone think beyond eating and living well ? Would we explore ? Would we take the unchartered ? Would we try to create wealth ? Would we invest ? Would we think ahead ? Would we secure ourselves ? Eventually, would we think at all ? Would there be change ? evolution ?

Might be, might be not! Because it all depends on one guy whose vision of the world would have to become my vison of the world. And that my friends is by itself, RESTRICTING and against WORLD ORDER. This world needs chaos, variety and differences. There have to be rich and poor, the hard working and the hardly working, the common and the intellectual, we have no choice. This is world order. By trying to make things uniform,someone out there is only acting God! Any human acting GOD is called a DICTATOR! Because, we have no right to! There was one guy about half a century ago due to whose whims and fancies, an entire population of innocent, free-spirited people were put to pain and death. Do we need moral policemen for our leaders ?

Think my friends!