Freedom cannot exist outside the Principle. From that viewpoint, everything has already been analyzed and the rules determined. There is no freedom outside the Principle. Not eating when it is time to eat is not freedom. You'll become hungry. That will produce ill effects, and if you continue, your body will die. So, there is no freedom outside the Principle. Looking at it this way, all the movement and workings of the universe are freedom. The greatest freedom is that the earth revolves on its axis once a day. Also, the moon goes around the earth once a month, and, of course, the earth goes around the sun based on a 360-day cycle. If they were to say, "Oh no! I don't want to do that," it would mean losing the value of the whole. Therefore it is logical and reasonable that there is no freedom apart from the Principle. Do you understand? Everything exists in that way.

Well, then, do I have freedom? It is the same for me. Pursuing freedom in a world that has abandoned its principles is doomed to failure. I am old and there are rules of freedom that I must follow as an elderly person. Would it be suitable for an elderly person such as myself to have an affair with a young girl? Hmm? Everyone would laugh at me and spit on me. Everything has to coincide with the Principle. Also, there is responsibility in freedom. Responsibility? You should certainly not act in a position of responsibility for something bad. You must act from a position of taking responsibility for something good. On seeing how much you have been able to take responsibility for your actions, all creation should be able to respect you on that basis. Also, good results must be left behind where you have acted. Aren't these the three great fundamental rules? You might say, "What kind of freedom is that?" but that is just the way it is! For example, when you go home, you might say, "I am not going to be dominated by my parents. I am going to do whatever I wish" You cannot assert that this is freedom.

Look! Compare it with the branches and twigs on a tree. Can a twig claim that it has nothing to do with the branch? If there is no branch, a twig cannot be protected and its location cannot be determined; we do not know whether it is in the eastern or western part of the universe. Can it manage by itself? Can anything manage alone? North, south, east and west have to be related as four directions. If there is a tree-branch facing the east, then there will inevitably be branches facing west, south and north. There must also be buds and roots. It is in such a case that freedom can be guaranteed. Do you understand? If that is not the case, that tree cannot grow upright, no matter how good the east-facing branches are. The tree will be out of shape. Can we say that the growth of a tree is freedom? It is its purpose. Therefore there cannot be freedom outside the Principle-the fundamental rules of the Principle-and there cannot be freedom without responsibility. When we act, good results must inevitably come about. (182-112)