Choose to Be Better
Jul 05, 2023
“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” - Albert Camus
When I came upon this quote provided by a member of our LHLN team, it made me curious. Who had coined this phrase? What did this author mean with that phrase? After all, as with any good quote, it made me think. What does that mean to me?
Well, it turns out that Albert Camus was a French-Algerian philosopher and author of many works - most notably The Stranger, which won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.
Camus grew up in abject poverty in French Algiers. Born in 1913, the year many say the modern world was born with the start of WW I, Camus was taken in by his uncle who was a butcher and afforded him the opportunity to study at the university in Algiers. He was in Paris, France when the Nazis invaded and was unable to flee the country. He became part of the French Resistance during the German occupation in WW II.
Camus wrote several novels about philosophy, political systems, liberty, and freedom. He was an ardent anti-Soviet-style totalitarianism and anti-fascist. He advocated for more of a libertarian socialism that many would observe is the predominate political philosophy of Western European democracies since World War II. Camus admired the founders of American democracy but observed American democracy as not liberal enough.
Camus’s study of literature and philosophy led him to a more libertarian view of the world. He would say, “Freedom is not just the natural right of every human. It is the state of mind that enables people to create the greatest and the most inspiring things.”
When we consider Camus’s comments on freedom this July 4th holiday week, through the lens of leadership in our own homes, organizations, and communities, I believe we would all serve ourselves well to consider what Camus says in his statements about freedom. Yes, it is a chance every single day to be better. To become the best version of ourselves. To strive to be +1% better each day in every aspect of our lives.
While I’m not sure the that the founders of this great nation of ours would agree with all that Camus says or even his political philosophy, they would agree that freedom is both the greatest opportunity for people and the greatest peril. When people live in freedom, they have the ability to be the greatest or worst versions of themselves.
\When you look back on your life, which choice do you want to be remembered having chosen?
The singer and songwriter, Janis Joplin’s famous song "Bobby McGee" has a lyric in it that always struck me as the lesser view of freedom; it says: “Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose.”
Personally, I appreciate Camus’s take on freedom. It truly is a chance to be better! So make sure you are choosing the freedom to be better, every single day!
- Dean
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