Within the orthodox Christian tradition, freemen are men who are not enslaved by their base passions, impulses, and compulsions. It is when man is the slave of his base passions that he commits suicide so to speak.
As Augustine observed of the natural men of his time, every man, from king to slave has as many masters as he has vices.
Someone posted this yesterday, very beautifully written by Saint John the Solitary. People have forgotten the simple truth (or turned their backs to it, or never heard it) that we're not our mind's desires, and that we should fight against evil thoughts and desires. Now so many people identify with every mental desire, no matter how degraded, perverse or cruel, and become literally insane. And anyone saying differently are considered evil!
Be attentive to the thoughts of the mind. If some evil thought passes through you, do not get upset, for it is not the transient thoughts of your mind that the knowledge of the Lord of all observes, rather He looks at the depths of the mind to see if you take pleasure in that evil thought which resides there; for hateful thoughts float over the surface of the mind, but it is the senses that are lower down which can chase away hateful thoughts, which the Lord of all examines. He does not judge what just passes over the mind, but rather the thoughts that are lower down than those hateful ones, namely those which appear in the depths of the mind, which can drive them away with its hidden hand. For He does not pardon the thoughts which spring up from the depth of the mind, for it is they which should be chasing away those which pass over the surface of the mind; He judges those thoughts which have a passage into the heart.-
Excellent and learned reply—T’anks