The very meaning.................................

What are the benefits of freedom?  They are embedded in the very meaning of being human.  To be human is to be mindful:  conscious of living a life and trying to live a good one.  Freedom is the raw material for the choices that make up a life - the myriad choices that go into assembling your little platoons, exercising your realized capacities, and demarcating a place for yourself and your loved ones.  Responsibility, freedom's obverse, is the indispensable quality that allows us to carry through on our choices and take satisfaction from our accomplishments, whether they be making a living, realizing our gifts, caring for a family, or being a good neighbor.

-Charles Murray,  What It Means To Be A Libertarian:  A Personal Interpretation