Never Again - Disambiguation

“I say never again. We are after all, free, free at last! Let us take our joys in the present, while the old is still free in time."

This little quote, along with the "What's so bad about freedom" trope I've seen so many people use, is the single best example of how the "freedom" we're talking about is actually a lie. We aren't free at all; freedom to be anything we feel like. We are free, as long as we don't let anyone, who might not agree with us, tell us what we can or cannot do, what we can own, who we can share our feelings with, even.

Freedom is, after all: "freedom from". We do not need to be free from anything, even if that something is the very same freedom that we so desperately crave. The difference between "freedom" and "liberty" is about power. In its most basic, fundamental nature, "liberty" is what can be taken away from us. There is a very simple way this can be done: We don't have to do anything to "be" free. All it takes is for us to just go away for a little while. That is how "liberty" works, for you and I and for the rest of us. Even the most basic notion of "freedom" is "power" (the ability to manipulate and take possession of anything from others). This is the fundamental difference between liberty and "freedom". "Liberty" has almost nothing to do with having "power" over those who are "free". It has everything to do with not having "power" over those who are not "free". Now you should note that "freedom" and "liberty" are mutually exclusive.

Ultimately, "Liberty" is the ultimate freedom from anything (including anyone), "freedom" is the ability to not have anything to do with anyone, and that is all.