Freedom of the mind

Freedom remains absent in so many people’s lives today not because they are barred from its blessings; rather, freedom is absent because people will not utilize it. Across many parts of the world, freedom’s prerequisites — things like the vote, due process, protection from government abuse — are at their historical high points. Never before in human history have so many people across so many different continents been able to vote for their leaders and otherwise live their lives without undue interference. Yet these same people still feel unfree, and unhappy.

The problem of freedom in the modern world is not a problem of procedure. Procedural freedom exists. The problem of freedom is a problem of the mind. People do not feel as if they are free; thus, they will not engage in behaviors and activities that will promote their sense of freedom. Their everyday activities, their thoughts, their attitudes about life, revolve around things which promote that very sense of alienation and servitude which they seek to escape. For many individuals today, they feel trapped in a rat race even as they continue to participate in it. How will such a person every feel free?

The potential for real freedom in today’s world is infinite. Yet the activation of this potential is minimal. This is a problem of perception, a problem of the mind. I can tell you that a whole world exists outside your front door, and even open that front door for you, but if you will not step through it, or even look beyond the confines of your mantle, you will never embrace freedom — despite the fact that “technically” you may be free to walk through that door at any time.

What prevents people from being free today, from feeling liberated, at one with themselves and the universe, in total pursuit of their own happiness? The answer to this is simple: social training. People from birth are told that they are free but trained to act as slaves. And then they come to believe that this slavery is freedom, when it is nothing of the sort. So, today we see so many people do nothing but find a job they don’t really like, watch television shows they don’t really enjoy, enter relationships they don’t really care about — in sum, live their lives in ways that will only produce unhappiness. Then they wonder why they are unhappy. It is because they are choosing unhappiness in life!

Freedom is a state of mind, and if you are to feel free, you must realize that the beginnings of freedom begin within yourself. You must examine your daily activities, your thoughts, your behaviors, and inquire as to how the choices you make every moment about your life confine you to a sense of slavery. I tell you that you have so much potential freedom that could be explored right now, to change your life in whatever way you want; but you will never experience that freedom unless you are willing to change your life. This is such a difficult thing to do, and in fact it often appears impossible. But there is no other way to be free.

If you want to change your relationships, then change them. Figure out what it is that attracts you to certain type of people, and do something differently. If you want to be happy with your job, figure out what it is you’d like to do and then get a different job. If you want to stop feeling bored, stop doing boring things. Television is really boring. It really is. Many people are bored today because they do nothing but watch boring television, then they wonder why they’re so bored. This is true for so many aspects of life.

Today, do one thing different. Eat something different for breakfast, take a different route to work, say something different in a relationship. See what happens. See what power you have to change your life by doing things differently. You will realize that you have more power than you realize. Welcome yourself to your own freedom.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 at 7:30 am and is filed under Alternative Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.