What is Freedom?
Seriously, what is freedom?
What is freedom? Glad you asked. As I begin writing this, it is the 4th of July or American Independence Day. What once was my favorite holiday is now one that makes me pensive. I used to be proud to be American, but the current state of things doesn’t make me overly enthused.
I’m not trying to get political. You may not agree with my truth, and I respect that. I also have the right, just like you, to feel what I feel.
And listen, I know that we have it good in so many ways that we take for granted. Still, things feel emotionally bankrupt at times on a deeper level.
It does make me wonder…
What is Freedom?
Part 1
Freedom is safety. It’s often said that as humans, we have the basic needs of food, water, and shelter. Without these essentials, we wouldn’t feel safe. There are many who live their days not feeling physically safe. Violence is all too commonplace, not just in the US, but all over the world. Why? I wish I knew. As a GenXer, I never worried about getting shot at school. Now it’s a fear in every parent and child’s mind. No wonder this generation is riddled with anxiety.
But also, there is psychological safety. The freedom to express oneself without fear of judgement. The ability to Be Yourself, Show Yourself, Grow Yourself, as the name of my practice suggests. What I know is that ensuring adequate resources and physical safety for the world is beyond my control. But what I can do is support each person who comes my way with a sense of psychological safety from the inside.
Part 2
But also, there is psychological safety. The freedom to express oneself without fear of judgement. The ability to Be Yourself, Show Yourself, Grow Yourself, as the name of my practice suggests. What I know is that ensuring adequate resources and physical safety for the world is beyond my control. But what I can do is support each person who comes my way with a sense of psychological safety from the inside.
As an extrovert, I struggle with this. I get energized by being with people, mostly, but I’ve noticed I tend to lose my patience with those stuck in victimhood. I don’t love small talk, and I have very little interest in sticking to surface-level conversation. If we want to connect authentically and deeply, it is important to be willing to expose our vulnerabilities and get soul naked. The wise elders that I’ve witnessed, what sets them apart is that they are willing to keep their minds open. Firstly, they aren’t bound by anyone else’s rules. Secondly, they aren’t out to impress anyone. Thirdly, they are confident in their bodies, no matter what their shape, size, or imperfections. Finally, they listen more than they talk, and every word they speak adds value.
We can gain this freedom of confidence by doing the work of being ourselves and showing ourselves through growing ourselves. So perhaps the question is…
What’s a small thing I can do to grow myself today?
Part 3
Good Health
Time Abundance
Financial Abundance
Don’t we all want these things? How often can we have them all at the same time?
We can’t underestimate the importance of health. When we are young, it can be easy to take it for granted. As we age, even for those who are fortunate enough to just go through normal aging things, it’s easy and common to wake up every day feeling like shit. Therefore, it becomes important to balance sensible things to take care of ourselves without getting overly paranoid about it. Paranoia can cause more damage than eating fast food every day (which I don’t recommend).
In abundance, we can look at two dimensions…
Financial and Time.
This one continues to mystify me.
I’ve had financial abundance but been so ‘time poor’ that I thought about installing a toilet as my desk chair.
Currently, I have ‘time abundance.’ This spaciousness allows me to work on my terms and be creative in ways that I never imagined.
The downside is that I have this nagging feeling that my free time should be spent acquiring money. I suspect others, especially Americans, feel this deeply. Historically, we’ve been a culture of live to work rather than work to live.
I suspect the antidote is to ask…
Is it truly about acquiring more money?
Or
Is it about creating a mindset of desiring and needing less?
As I ask these questions, I only have more. But what I do know to be true is that the struggles and times of discomfort have allowed me to see that I actually need very little.
The trappings of capitalism have taught us to consume. Social media does a fantastic job of targeting us with ads just at the right time.
The line between needs and desires becomes incredibly blurred. If we can see things as they are, perhaps the question becomes – what does it look like to embrace simplicity as the goal of abundance?
Watch this short video to dive deeper into What is Freedom?
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