FISH OUT OF WATER

Writer: Lexi Fernandez Shoot Staff ers: Tabitha Labrato, Abby Marcil Beauty: Brynn Lewin Model: Kennedy White Photographer: Lalo Ambris, Abby Marcil Videographer: Kevin Farley Layout: Stella Humberg

We are oft en told that freedom is limitless, that it is an individual experience of the mind, and that we are encouraged to embrace it, to revel in such a frame of mind. For many, the feeling of being free creates a meaningful sensation, one that is entirely dependent upon our perspective. With the idea of freedom comes fulfi llment, something that we all subconsciously seek. Th ere is an idea of what freedom is intended to be, for it is seen in the language used to compose our guiding structural systems. As a defi ning value for many, freedom is something with which we are acquainted, something that is assumed to have validity. Each characterization of freedom is left to be interpreted by the individual, blurring the lines of whether or not the notion is something that we have or something we are given permission to have. In developing and refi ning our understanding of the sensation and its meaning, we come to realize that freedom is an abstraction of sorts, something that exists only as an idea. Seen in symbols, in media, and in civil liberties, freedom makes its departure from what we once believed it to be it is nothing more or less than a fabrication of our own creation. If a distinct interpretation of freedom ever did exist, it disappeared a long time ago. On an individual level, we like the idea of being free. It is the foundation upon which our reality, our existence, is built. Freedom encourages us to believe that people are good and that we are capable of change. Our perspective is forever tied to such a conviction, and, as a result, we learn to become more accepting of life as it stands, breaking the boundaries of resistance. As we cross the barriers we have created for ourselves, we are better able to see the illusion of freedom. Serving as a downpour of reality, we question the seemingly unconditional nature of the liberties we once felt so empowered by. In this liminal space, we ask ourselves, “Are we ever truly free?”. Our state of being is never entirely unbound from expectations, for we place pressure on the human experience, either to meet our own standards or for the satisfaction of others. We fi nd ourselves chained to responsibility, pulling ourselves in countless directions in an attempt to grasp what is out of reach. In the pursuit of control over the unknown, we lose sight of our innate freedom, distracted by life’s circumstances and the potential of what could be. With self-refl ection, we recognize that the most diffi cult barrier to cross is that of our own mind. Naturally, freedom is an intrinsic experience, and the motivation to surpass boundaries must come from within. Th e belief that our ability to freely navigate the world is based upon structure and defi nition is deceitful; our mindsets are characterized by our ability to choose. Rather than focusing on the concern of whether or not freedom is something that we have or something we are given, we must recognize that the permission is ours to give. Freedom lies not in the world that surrounds us, but in the chance that we give ourselves to truly feel free.