Are You Free or Goal-Oriented?

According to Hannah Arendt (born this day), once you are goal-oriented you are no longer free, because the goal sets the agenda for how you think and act. Thus, a goal- oriented society inevitably becomes totalitarian once it enshrines a certain principle as its end. Even equality. Even dignity. Even liberty. Any single value, unchecked, leads to oppression. Though we could say pluralism does not avoid this conundrum, either.

A goal oriented person, similarly, becomes beholden to the achievement of their goals, but not free to change, question, or challenge them.

Unless the goal itself is to be free, which is a paradox.

Now, obviously much depends on our definition of freedom. Let’s just say, for now, freedom means being open and undetermined (implying that total freedom may not always be so wonderful; some attachment and focus is good).

Neither total freedom nor total submission to a goal may be possible for us to achieve, but as people who find ourselves somewhere in the middle, today’s question is how much freedom vs. goal-orientation do you value for yourself and your culture? When are you more willing to sacrifice your freedom for a goal, and when are you less?