“If you want total security, go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking… is freedom.”  These are the words of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This quote was offered to incite thought about security versus freedom, thanks to a more existential prompt source, (sorry I’m late with this, by the by.  I was sick) and I’ve been thinking about it this week.

A client came to mind: A white man in his 60’s, he’s just out of prison.  He said that when he got out, they put him in a cab with $5 and sent him downtown. And that was it.  He doesn’t know where to go or what to do, so he came to my center. He said that, in prison, his needs were met, he was in a structured environment and he had a pretty good life.  He seems to feel overwhelmed: he doesn’t know what to do or how to do it. He doesn’t have any kind of structure and boundaries imposed on him and he’s lost touch with the ability to limit himself.

I think this is telling. Freedom is scary.

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