has many meanings, depending upon context. Webster's offers a whole lot of 'em. For example, “having the legal and political rights of a citizen”; or “not dependent upon others”; or “not bound, confined, or detained by force”; or  “having no obligations or commitments”; or “not obstructed or impeded”; and so on. 

I was thinking about all that when the Fuzzy Zoeller/Tiger Woods incident came along a short while ago to shake a good part of the sports world. 

In case you don't remember what happened, I'll refresh your memory. 

Tiger Woods, because he had won the 1997 Masters' Golf Tournament, will select the dinner menu for the 1998 affair. Zoeller, who had unsuccessfully competed against Woods in the tournament, said right after the latter's victory that he hoped that Woods wouldn't pick fried chicken and collard greens for the evening's fare. 

Now two things came to mind when I heard about the incident. 

For one, I thought that only two people were involved — Fuzzy Zoeller and Tiger Woods. And that what was said was no one else's business but theirs. 

And for another, from the widespread outcry that followed the incident, it's obvious that there are a lot of unfree people out there. 

You see, you can't be free as long as you can be offended by what someone says. Either about you or about someone else. Because as long as you can, that someone else is your master. It's he or she who decides whether you're angry or not, not you. Whether you're resentful or not, not you. Whether you're hurt or not, not you. In other words, it's he or she who decides what you're feeling, not you. 

Now if that isn't a form of slavery, I don't know what slavery is. 'Cause as long as you got a button that can be pushed by anyone, you ain't free. 

Think about it.