Full Description
This charming allegory, suitable for all age groups, is about a boy called Freedom. Born the son of gipsy tinkers, the boy is left outside a monastery when his parents are refused help in the coldest of winters.
At first he is raised by the monks and subsequently adopted by a gentle farmer and his wife. As their son he helps on the farm and learns to love the life of a shepherd so much that he refuses to give up his liberty to go to school. However when he is attacked by vicious wolves who kill his dog companion, he realises the value of education. At school he soon makes up for lost time and excels, despite the bullies he encounters.
At the age of 18 he realises that he is invincible when others attack him, but this merely serves to provoke. Before long he is imprisoned. All forms of torture are tried on him, but he is so indomitable that he is eventually summoned by the king, who appoints him to his government to bring peace and stability to the country. Freedom makes sweeping changes to its structure, turning it from war to peace, and from hierarchy to democracy.
Once again his peaceful stance, reflected in the peaceful, prosperous country he manages, provokes neighbouring states to attack, until finally it is conquered and devastated. When he is discovered, starved to death in a dungeon, his wife and daughter lead the procession to the grave and are joined by others who grieve and vow to re-establish the world that he showed them was possible.
The story ends with the communal realisation that people who support each other can always rebuild peace and democracy to promote social cooperation and well-being, and to counter political opposition because he - Freedom - lives on in the minds of all people. Thus there is always hope and a future, as long as each person takes responsibility for it.
