Forgive me while I act like a fan girl for a moment: I am still coming off of the high from a summer of superhero movies. I know that conservatives value economic responsibility, but even exorbitant ticket prices could not stop me from seeing The Avengers multiple times. The movie itself was a caped candy-land for an English major and political philosopher like myself.

Some people go to such movies to see explosions or what their favorite actor or actress looks like in spandex; I go for the discourse—regarding freedom, for instance.

Asking someone to define freedom in simple terms is opening up a can of worms, as there are as many different conceptions of freedom as there are dollars in Marvel’s box office.

Freedom and life cannot be boiled down into simple terms that prescribe a one-size-fits-all course of action for success and happiness. Loki, Bane, and every other verbose villain who delivers a soliloquy before their seemingly imminent victory, claim that true freedom is to be found in security… established conveniently in the form of martial law enforced by themselves. But that “security” is an illusion.

This is also true in the real world: measures of supposed security are often more like an entrapment in which someone else forces you to do what he or she thinks is best for you.

Security in itself is not a bad thing. Adrenaline junkies aside, longing for safety and comfort is an almost universal human desire. In that sense, humans are equal, just as they are in many other respects. But if all humans are equal, how can one human dictate others’ choices by presuming to be better than the rest? Power over me should be given, not taken. I might allow someone to pursue my best interests in an area where they have more expertise than I do, but allowing them control over every aspect of my life without my permission is an alarming prospect. No other person knows me so intimately that they can make informed decisions about my welfare in every case, especially if they have to know everything about multiple other people in their charge as well. It is important to take care of other people, but there seems to be a lot of misconception about the best way to do that. Even an omnipotent God allows more free will than do lesser authorities on Earth.

I am not suggesting that the government is a super-villain. Sure, there is some theft involved, but I would like to think that a few politicians, at least, are well-intentioned. I am also not suggesting that you moonlight as a vigilante (though if you do, skip the cape—trust me on this one). You do not have to be a superhuman to be a super human. You can stand up for what you believe without fighting an alien army. You can give charitably without being forced to do so. The government cannot legislate morality, and I am of the opinion that it does not have to try. Our rights do not have to be taken away to make us do the right thing, because we often do it of our own volition. Exercise your freedom, be kind to one another, and keep it classy, Cornell.

Katie Johnson is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at kij5@cornell.edu.