noun: freedom
- the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
I’ve been thinking about this word and the many definitions it encompasses with regards to being a witness to creation. It doesn’t mean we can do anything we want. That is the ego talking. The ego thinks it is separate from reality but that is an illusion. We are all connected and part of this reality. So, obviously, there are constraints.
One constraint is the laws of nature. We require nutrients from our environment. You certainly cannot survive without food and water no matter how free you think you are. You certainly cannot spread your wings and fly. You will not last long in the desert or the tundra on your own.
Another physical constraint is our social environment. We need help from our fellow humans to survive. I like to watch TV shows about living off the grid in Alaska. The people on those shows always talk about how they are free, that they are not dependent on other people. It makes me laugh. Because the truth is they are dependent on millions of people all around the world for all the necessities of their life. They are not walking around in skins and using stone tools they made. They have guns, warm clothes, snow machines, and tools. In essence, they are taking from society but not contributing to it. Their freedom is an illusion.
So, now we know there must be a mutual relationship between us and our fellow humans. What form does that relationship take? That is the crux of the matter, isn’t it? We can be physically free but within a context of mutual relationships with fellow humans. That is our history!
Studying that history we see an evolution of thought from little individual control over our bodies to more control over our individual actions. Envision it as the flow of your energy on a spectrum. There was a time in our history when we had very little control over our actions. Think of our history under a king. We had very little control over our physical environment. We were serfs. We could not live wherever we wanted. Slowly, over time, thought evolved, kings were overthrown and new social structures developed. Society was ruled by group decisions. It wasn’t perfect but individuals had more control over their own bodies.
But, the pendulum swings, doesn’t it? It sure seems like we are moving back towards a system where the government has gotten so out of control that it feels compelled to limit individual control to protect its power and privilege.. The new king(s) wants to decide what we can and cannot do with our bodies; where we can and cannot live.. They decide what information we are allowed to access because we obviously cannot intelligently decide on our own. I don’t know about you but I feel this disconnect between my leaders and myself. And I don’t distinguish between political parties because I don’t see that much difference between them. I’m not saying there are no differences but at their core they are similar in their regards to obtaining and keeping power.
Once again, what can I do? What’s under my control? Am I really free or is it an illusion? Or is it possible to be mentally free and physically constrained?
