I don't want to take your analogy too literally, but if you had the knowledge of how to use a crowbar, and knew you could avoid dying if you used it, you would get out of your box.

At it's essence, freedom is simply one's ability to choose his own path in life. The more knowledge one gains (either of a previously unknown path's existence, or skills required to travel down it), the more paths one has to choose from, and freedom is gained.

We are all born with the freedom to move our bodies as we wish - every bit of knowledge we gain from birth helps us hone our skills and understand the effects of those movements (from speaking to writing to becoming a surgeon). The more we understand of our world, and understand what our actions mean to us (and the world around us) the more freedom we have.