Every week we ask you a different question. Hear what people in London say, then join the conversation! This week, when do you feel free?
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The Express English team
One man feels free when he can make his own decisions, and have freedom of speech.
One woman doesn't feel free when someone is nagging her.
Another woman feels most free when she plays the piano because she isn't worrying about anything.
Did you know?
- Fact
Liberia means land of the free and was founded as a homeland for freed American slaves.
- Language tip
Blue-sky thinking is thinking about an issue, with total freedom from practical limitations.
- Cultural tip
In English we say 'free as a bird', but we associate rats with cages and lack of freedom.
End of Section
This Express English was originally published in 2011.
Now tell us what you think
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Comments
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the only way to feel truly free is when I am dreaming.
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I feel free when before 10min i sleep
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I feel free when I am on my trip or travelling time on my own... I really enjoy my free time as a solo backpacker.
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I feel free when I run, because I don't think anything, I fell good.
Sometimes, I run eraly the morning and I see the sunrise. In those moments, it's as if time is suspended. In those moments, I feel free.
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I'M an english teacher and I will feel free when I have an english class in which my students relax and enjoy when they learn and walls are like a picture dictionary. we will both learn and speak and sing rather than writing grammar rules and they can show their performance and project works more willingly. but ıt seems impossible to put it in practice in a 45 students in a class. but ı try to do my best :(
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I feel free when I am swimming in the sea and getting sunbathing under the sun and the same time I like listening to music like cafe del mare's or chillout. When I listen to music I close my eyes and dream a deep about my future life and enjoy from music.
FREEDOM FOREVER. I dream and wish to everyone don't be in the cage like some birds who keep them in houses or in zoo.
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I feel free when I go traveling with my friends and nibble some tasty foods. what a enjoyable life!
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I feel free when I'm swimming. It's very delicious.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I feel free when I feel love
''Freedom is from love''
This sentence is quoted from one of my favorite novel,''Broken Heart Coffe Shop'' is a Taiwanese novel.
So I believe someone wouldn't feel free if he or she doesn't have love in heart
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I feel free when I and my all family are healthy and we have a work.
In my opinion a health and a work these are a main components freedom in contemporary world.
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I feel free, whenever I know that I can do what I wanted to do, and nobody orders me to do it.
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Iam already feeling free because i am Egyption,generally i feel free when i do good things only because it is good not to make people say well down,When i do the same thing in presence or abcence of people and when i do what i say forgive me for being too long thanks
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I fell free when i be alone, when ihave the space to think of whatever idea come to my mind, ifeel free when and where ibe with my frinds whome I trust
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I feel free when i talk an excellent English and when i am with my husband and my parents.
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I really feel free when running on the beach on wind. It's look like you and nature are only one.
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I feel free with my loved ones. If you are alone, it would bore you. In my opinion, the situation when mind work less and heart more, is a free time. you don't have any tensions, queries etc.
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Hi, I feel free, when I see that many people want to be free.
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I feel free when it is weekend ,because there is nothing to worry about and just playing with family.
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I feel free when i do my work in my own way or when i am doing some anlaysis work.
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I feel free when i can get up from bed whenever i want and do not need to consider the papers, courses,experiments,seminars,ppts....
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I feel free when I achieve my goals. In these moments I feel that I can do everything:)
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I feel free when I have a big profit! Good job and good profit will give any person a freedom! Freedom of choice can be reached only by the financial stability! May be it is not so romantic but it is true! If You don’t want to do something and You have money You will solve the problems using your purse. There are only two questions : health and destiny ….
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I feel freedom when I climb a mountain.
I feel released from all chores, for example, work, household affairs, nurturing, and so on.
Because of magnificence scenery, I can think all of them is tiny thing.
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I feel free when I go out outdoors. It's an amazing feeling see a different landscape everytime we travel away.
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i feel free when i take my car and get out to travel to another city's has a sea and look to the pure blue sky in egypt (i love egypt)
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I feel free when I do drawings every weekend. I can concentrate the drawings only and feel relax.
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I feel free and happy when I can manage my private life in a well-balanced way, like choosing my friends and also, sometimes, savouring moment of freedom and solitude. I really feel free when I think and decide alone of my own interest, and avoid as far as possible the overwhelming presence of medias, red tape, and advisers of all kind.
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freedom is a inane word!This is the freedom when you get up every morning with having a good mood.ok,that's all!thank you!
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I fell free when I'm not at my work.
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yes i'm free we have arabic an expression which says " When did you enslave people were born free!!!" but also we have a limited freedom because people can't live without rules [Edited by Moderator: to leave is to depart or to go away. To live is to be alive or to have a home somewhere]
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I feel free when I am enjoying every beautiful things, such as reading a nice book, listening to nice music or floating on water, watching blue sky...
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Whenever I feel stressed or frustrated, I try to calm myself down by performing medication: I close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing. I also try to "mentally" feel the tensed muscles around my body at the same time. The tension usually goes away after practicing this for awhile. That's freedom for me.
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I feel free when I'm in front of the monitor of my PC and I can choose where I want to surf the net. In English it's better, because it's the language of the world!
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I work at my home in a country 'couse 3D modelling is my occupation and passion as well. I am feeling free when I can working without time pressure, when nobody is disturbing me, when I can watching a trees and birds outside the window.
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I feel free when I can go where I want, and do anything I want to do. I feel free when I can do somewhere with my best friends. I don't like to be restrained in a place, but that I would like to fly like a bird feeling the wind blow through me. The best thing in the world is to breathe in a freedom world which can please my emotion.
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I am free when my soul flies through the sky, bringing to mind where there is no prejudice to the attention nor the Judging from laws
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I almost feel totally free in my life. I try to keep balance in everything. When I have trouble I just concentrate on finding way to solve it and determining to do it.
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I feel free when i can express my own opinion without being forced or under constraint.
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i feel free in my mind, it's nothing which has to do with physical life but it's a state of mind. it's a little bit like zen: feel free to be yourself, don't worry about rules or society or everyday problems, just do what your heart is telling to you to do. if you are able to take energy from this kind of thinking you will be free anytime and everywhere. you just have to believe in the big reserves inside yourself.
[Note from Moderator: Here are some helpful vocabulary hints. to feel = to experience an emotion. fell = past tense of fall. The heart is the home or centre of our emotions. Something hard is solid or difficult. Physical starts with "ph" rather than "f".]
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hello every bodey,I fell free when you finish all wars in the world when you stop kill chiledren when you finish all type of violence
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Well, I can say that I feel free when I am running, in fact I love running because it helps me to cope with stress and also just make me feel the freedom we all need to feel alive and happy too!......
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I feel free when I have time to do what I like such as swimming, painting, or just walking by the street
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I feel free when I can do all the things I want to do without limitations.
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I feel free when I take a hike. Walking, looking the landscape over me, dreaming (not thinking!) makes me feel free. Also, freedom is quite equal to the solitude for me…
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I often feel free when I finish my assignments in university. I had lots of assignments in each semester. It is not too difficult for me to do, though, sometimes I feel crazy because of them. I usually do assignments in a group of five people, and it's not easy for us to arrange time to doing our homework together because everyone has his own schedule. In addition, to get good marks, we have to do them thoroughly and also have to be well-prepared for the presentation in class. Sometimes we must go to specific companies to observe and to collect information, and also to take a short video clip. So after finish all of my assignments, I feel incredibly free and satisfied because I tried my best to do them.
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Hi everybody, sorry but my english isn´t so good but i want to say when I´m free. I feel free when I feel the wind in my face when I stay in the car, I feel free when I speak the truth, I feel free when I´m home alone and I can hear loud music and dance without anyone looking at me. I hope you understood me. Peace.
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I felt free just yesterday. I didn't go to work because i had a bad cold.
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I feel free when I can be myself and never mind other people.
I feel free when I feel confident about myself.
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I can't feel free because I have never lost it. I wish all people so do, don't lose the freedom.
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I feel free when I can speak another language, when I speak in english with you
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Well, I feel free when I'm brave to do whatever I want. I feel free when I laugh, swim, dance, etcetera. I feel free when I am myself.
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I feel free when I speak back on unjust issues. I don't like people in my neighborhood because they don't like us feeding cats. They just don't have a soft corner for them so when someone comes and say not to feed them, it makes me feel free when I answer why should we not feed them? Cats, in fact all the animals have feelings and hunger is just part of it. Just as we can't live hungry so can't they.
Speaking up for justice makes me feel free.
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I feel free when I dont HAVE to do anything else, when I can do WHATEVER I want to WHENEVER I want to, and no one complains abt that. I feel free whenever I finish school at weekends, finish home work. I feel free whenever lying thinking abt the days I am in the UK, travelling, feeling abt anything in there. I feel free when I read Twilight drinking a cup of coffee in a rainy day, not caring abt doing anything else..
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i share many people's view, i feel pretty free when i can get some good datas in my experiments.
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I think freedom is a kind of happiness.If I can do anything without any environment difficulties ,that is freedom.
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I really feel free when I do my workout in the fitness studio. Then my sorrows vanish, my body feels strong and I don't worry about anything.
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I feel free when it is Friday evening.
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I feel free when I can do anything I like without limitation.
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Hello! I feel free when I close my eyes and I think about the beautiful things of my life.
I feel free when I'm feeling happy!
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I feel free when i get up in the early morning
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i fell free when i listen to the songs...it makes me invisible from this world and i just keep thinking of what i want to..and i love this moment
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I feel free when I'm very deep under the water
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Hi everybody!
I don't remember when I was feeling free. What is it, actually?
I should try : )
Really, reading the messages was interesting.
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I feel free when I can say anything what I want and I'm not criticized by other people. I like to be independent. I feel free too, when I'm in the theatre with my friends, becouse theatre is a place where I can "move to the fantazy world". It's my freedom :-)
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HELLO.
I feel free when i'm alone.I can talk with myself about everything.For example,i can speak like a child, sing a song using some cute words and i don't feel ashamed.I can travel one city after another. That's just what i want.
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I feel free when I do not hurt any one
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I thinkwhen i am free,i am able to do the most difficult and dangerous thing like parkour ,billionaire.
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I feel free when I paint.. i paint since i was 5 and this help me expressing myself
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I feel free when I have enough money to do what ever I want, to go where ever I want. And I don't depend on somebody because of money. Money gives me freedom.
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Well, I feel when i can do whatever I want to and nobody annoys me. But I do not like being alone. I feel also free when I just can lay on the bed and not worry about anything.
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I feel free when i am in my room! No one there.
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I feel free when i am doing whatever i want, for example when i am traveling, or when i am in a natural place like a rainforest or when i am happy becouse i could resolve some problem
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I always feel free and I'm happy about that.
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I think anyone here can't feel a "real freedom". There're many kinds of freedoms though, but think the real one is so hard to attain that might seem to be impossible to reach... i think we're surrounded by contemporary hectic world and being seized by it so tight that we're not able to just stop thinking about our problems and tasks and so on. Even though we're trying to disengage from that by doing something we're chained... and our leisure is just temporary, then fade away... that's just my opinion...
the most important kind is a freedom of mind and spirit, particulary for me.
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I feel free when i think about mu team, life happy.everytimes, i close my eyes, take a deep breath, that's amazing. i' m proud of myself. everyday. i learn a new thing and make one friend, i find a new thing. and get new thing from my family.
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I feel free when I can make my own decisions without the intervention of others.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
i dont feel free... 'cause i don t make my own money,i live with my family,my parents still tell me what to do or not to do..i mean i still have connection with my family that mostly depends on money...when i earn my own money im sure i will feel free..in some way i think money is freedom unfortunately..
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I thing the word FREEDOM, is amanzing cause the people who feel it, they must feel happy... In my case Im a dental student and i feel free when i see my patients happy, also when i spend time for me doing...
Read a Book, The Bible, be with my friends, help people, dinner with my family...
The Freedom is like the most beautiful thing, and God give us, so enjoy it!
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Hi BBC. This is my first comment. And I couldn't write on freedom in a more appropriate time.
I feel free, when I have the right of disagreement. Sometimes I wonder why I have to think, and interfere too much about other's suffering and burden if it doesn't affect me directly. I concluded that this is God's gift to me, at the same time a responsibility I carry upon my shoulders.
Being able to speak up about what is commonly perceived as right, is what freedom means to me. Being able to communicate in English(although I know there's still a long road to go, before mastering it), has open many doors in my life, and I hope it opens many more for kids in Africa, Asia, who can't tell the world what are their needs right now!
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Hi,
I feel free, when i see the people are happy and think positive and mostly i feel free, when we people keep talking only about freedom.
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I feel free when I stand on the spacious grassland or face the spacial sea; I also feel free when I can propose my opinion and can convince others, whereas I can get support from others.
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I feel free being myself, It is the best way but not easy, isn´t it?
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Hello everybody!!!
I think freedom is when one doesn't depend on anyone, but people conected to each other for example friendship, relationship, love and anyway we can't be free absolutely. We will always depend on anyone for one reason or another.
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I feel free when I can make choices about my life on my own and when I can decide how to spend my time.
I feel free when I can say what I want and think about what I want.
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I feel free when I stay alone at home. Sometimes I want to be quietly without anything else... such as childrens, my husband...
In this situation, I turn on the audio very loudly and then read magazines and stare blue sky through the window on my bed.
It makes me freely and out of pressure.
That's my own way to solve the stress.
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Freedom does not exist, not like we think, the freedom concept it is just in our imagination and we create that imagen , as we create jobs and chains, religions, goverments and tv sports as a war...
We thing freedom is something like win a trip but even in that trip we always keep in a suitcase heavy weight that we cant never leave, almost never, but some few, a little quantity of human who belive freedom is not that simple, freedom could be the way how we learn and understand who we are.
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i feel free when i can do whatever i want. Most of time, i am free. i live alone and i do not need to be noticed. it's quite lonely sometimes but i want to experience it before marrying...
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I feel free most when i'm able to do what i love to do and go to a place far away from the city wiith my husband, to get closer to nature and meanwhile to the souls and hearts of ourselves.
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I feel free when I can do whatever I can for as long as I don`t inflict sorrow, pain and resentment to other people.Like the birds that can soar across the sky, I can freely express myself and wonders across different places.
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I feel free when I finish my work and come back to my house and smoke hubbly bubbly
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Hi everybody !
I feel free when I pass an exam. I also feel free when I know that i have freetime now..how wonderful and pleasurable...!!!
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hi guyz ............yah i feel free when ever i alone in my home........and i also feel free when i pass my exam successfully and i also feel free when iam wid my family ..........to me freedom is every thing for a person's life
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Phew! It’s just like a Superb and wonderful, most expensive and worthwhile gift if anyone can give to someone. Of course God has given us this most beautiful gift of the universe to live and to let live to other freely, happily, liberally and generously with the freedom of speech.
I have an incredible experience of freedom in my life and this word recalls me that time when for the certain period of time ,almost three years, I were not allow to spend my life freely even I were not allowed to talk to anybody not even to my family means my parents , sis , bro and relatives as well anyhow here I am not mentioning my experience because it is very hard to explain and some of you might not be able to digest my story however I can narrate the feelings of Freedom.
It’s just a wonderful opportunity when I am free like a bird in the sky , having my rights to move around freely , can talk to anyone without any restriction , can wear the dress what I like to wear , can eat as much as I want , can go anywhere, can meet my mates , can go for shopping nobody nagging me really it’s a new life. This is what I feel when I am free.
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I feel free when I can make my decision without any stress form any one.
I feel free when I do what I want without bother any berson.
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If there was a complete freedom, our posts wouldn't be moderated. Am I right?
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i feel free when i dream . i dream a lot because i'd like to achieve many goals during my life . I think also that freedom speech has a very important role . Perhaps now we dont' realised about that but in the past , in particular during some kings reign , you couldn't express your ideas and your points of vue . Now, we can freely exchange our opinions. I believe also that we our ideas can be able to change and improve our nation but in particular our community . individual freedom is the happines of the community .
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To me personally I feel most free when I listen to music, as well as when I'm alone at the sunset
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