Precepts were not given
to restrict us and
force us to follow arbitrary rules and regulations.
Precepts are the standards for goodness.
In a world where freedom to do as we wish is enjoyed by some and sought by many, it can seem a step backward to be told that precepts and rules for behavior are still necessary. How can I be free if I have to follow a bunch of rules conceived by someone who lived 3000 years ago?
First, the Buddha did not formulate the precepts. He observed cause and effect. He saw that in killing, we would be killed. Stealing, we would be stolen from. Lying, we would be lied to. He encouraged us to both learn about and experience causality.
He also encouraged us to make informed, conscious decisions about how we would behave by using standards, like the precepts, for what was right. Not just right for ourselves. Right also for those we interact with.
The reality is that the precepts allow us to escape the snare of painful karmic consequences.
This truly is freedom.