Therefore, to the extent that trust is lacking, we make laws. Law replaces trust where trust is absent. Law, however, does not equal trust. Law is, by definition, the absence of trust. An entity is, therefore, free to the extent that that entity is not restricted.
Absolute freedom implies absolute, universal, mutual trust.
Laws, being an expression of the extent to which we lack trust, are the means by which we restrict the behavior of ourselves and others so as to create security. Therefore our freedom is measured in inverse proportion to the quantity of laws we enact. Freedom and security, by the same token, however, must be eternally at odds with each other. We must sacrifice freedom to the extent that we demand security. It is upon this foothold of security that law and freedom have come to appear synonymous in the civics courses taught in our schools.