Thursday Edition — What Is Freedom For? Competing or Caring
Freedom Isn’t What You Think It Is — A Cultural Analysis
Once a society decides who freedom is for (Tuesday) and who controls it and how much feels safe (Wednesday), it must decide what that freedom is meant to achieve.
That’s where Hofstede’s dimension of Achievement vs. Nurturance comes in.
Freedom as Competition — Achievement Freedom as Care — Nurturance
In achievement-oriented cultures, freedom is the opportunity to succeed by winning and is measured by results. Individuals in achievement cultures have the freedom to open a business in their garage, compete with global firms, and grow rich without penalty. They have the freedom to challenge their boss, switch careers, or move across the country in search of better pay. The system gives freedom to advance through effort and ambition.
In a nurturance-oriented culture, employees do not have this freedom. They would be seen as unreliable or disloyal. A Japanese employee who resigns mid-project can damage their reputation across an entire industry. In Sweden, a worker who leaves a cooperative or public enterprise for personal profit may be criticized for putting themselves above the group. In these cultures, freedom means staying committed, not walking away.
A worker in a nurturance-oriented culture has the freedom to take time off without fear of losing income or status. They can take parental leave for months and return to the same job. They have the freedom to stay home with a sick child or care for an aging parent without risking demotion. In Denmark and Norway, companies and governments guarantee this security as part of the employment system. In Japan, firms that promise lifetime employment protect workers from layoffs even during downturns.
It is a freedom only security can bring. A freedom that does not exist in Achievement-oriented cultures. In the United States, an extreme Achievement culture, a worker who takes extended leave may lose their job or face slower promotion. Health insurance is often tied to employment, so leaving a job means losing coverage. Workers are praised for staying late, answering emails on weekends, and putting work before family. The freedom to rest or to care for others exists in theory but comes with penalties that make it a freedom nearly impossible to exercise.
Hornby’s Archetypes — The Psychology of Purpose
Hornby’s archetypes reveal how individuals internalize these two orientations.
The North (Power-Seeker) thrives in achievement cultures. Freedom means the right to pursue ambition without constraint. It’s the freedom to lead, to compete, to prove worth through action. The Yellow (Creative) also belongs here with freedom as expression, invention, and self-assertion. The Creative measures freedom in ideas realized and recognition earned.
In nurturance cultures, the Green (Caregiver) defines freedom as protection, the ability to help, to heal, to build stability. The Blue (Guardian) sees freedom in structure, the security that allows duty and ethics to guide action.
Together, they illustrate two visions of liberty:
One driven by personal ascent, the other by collective care.
Freedom in Balance
When freedom serves achievement, it fuels innovation but breeds exhaustion. Freedom exists in opportunity, not in security.
When freedom serves nurturance, it builds security but can dull initiative. Freedom exists in stability, not in competition.
Both models reflect a moral choice:
Do I have the freedom to win or the freedom to live?
Every society must choose where to draw the line between competition and compassion, between freedom that pushes and freedom that protects.
The question is not which is better, but which form of freedom a culture believes will make life worth living.
Tomorrow: Friday Edition — Time and Desire: Freedom for Today or Tomorrow.
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