What Is Freedom

What is Freedom to you?  What does it really mean?  You might have asked yourselves this question or you might not.  Interestingly, a lot of people feel that they don’t have the freedom they deserved.  Why do they feel this way?

Human beings are social animals.  We feel safe living together and we love to interact with one another.  When we live together, we have to agree to certain social rules which allow us to live together peacefully.  That is why laws are invented.  When there is law, there will never be total freedom.  You cannot kill someone when you don’t like them, or you cannot force other people to do things that they don’t want to do.

So as long as you obey the laws, then anything else which doesn’t violate the laws of the country you live in, you are free to do.  Under this condition, we really have lots of freedom.  If you want to swimming wearing a swimwear of the opposite sex, you are allowed to do so.  But then if you are a woman, you are not allow to expose your breasts.  There are good reasons for this law.

If we can do anything we like, then why some people say they have no freedom?

Besides the laws we have to obey, we have something called “acceptable social behaviours”.  Interestingly, most people want to be accepted by someone, like our families, our friends, our colleague and anyone else we meet.  It is this acceptable social behaviour which rid most people their freedom to do what they wanted to do.  Besides this, there are some other reasons.

Here are some examples:

• They don’t want other people to see them as strange,
  

  White Mountain Puzzles

  so they never do anything that seems abnormal.  They just follow what most people do.

• They don’t have the money to buy what they wanted or don’t have the money to do what they wanted.
• Their responsibilities stop them from doing anything else.
• They don’t have the freedom to choose what jobs they wanted to do, they don’t have the required skill.
• They are bound by their fear.  Fear of failure, fear of success or fear of the unknown.

For most people in the third world countries, it is true that people don’t have much freedom.  Other than that, people in the rest of the world have a lot of freedom.  Sometimes, there might be too much freedom, then people will do some silly things.

Freedom is a choice, a mindset.  Freedom is letting go, let go of the things that tied you down.  When you let go, you have freedom.

When you don’t care what other people say about your dress, you can put on anything you like.  When you let go of your fear, you can do anything you wanted to do.  When you let go of your responsibility, you are free of the burden.  When you let go of the idea that you need money to do something, you will have new ideas to do what you wanted to do.

The conclusion is – you choose to be free.  When you make freedom as your choice, then you will be free.

There is a lot to do with understanding of this world and what life is all about.  Letting go is one important concept.  We say, “As free as a bird.”  Think about it, what does a bird has?

A bird has nothing, no home, no responsibility, no belonging and no social responsibilities.  So that is why birds are so free.

“I wants to go on a trip and have a holiday.  Without my husband and the kids following me,”  you said.  You don’t want to look after them and you don’t even want to see them.

“Go ahead and do that,” I tell you.

If you think your husband and kids will not survive without you, then you are wrong.  If my wife wants to do that, I will tell her to do that.  It might be your responsibility to look after the family, but you don’t need to be there 100% of the time.  They will survive without you.

If you think it is your responsibility to teach the children, but you don’t know that the children will educate themselves.  Like me, I have learn lots of thing that my mum and dad never taught me.  Where did I learn all these things?

Many of these responsibilities are self-imposed, nobody asks you to do that.

There are two words which you need to learn, “What if?”

These two words will open up your mind for new ideas.  Try these……

“What if I die tomorrow?”  –  Your family will still manage.

“What if I lost my job?” – You will find a way to cope, and you will find a new job one day.

“What if I don’t care what other people say about me?” – You can do anything you like without caring what others think of you and how they see you.

So you know, the first step to freedom is free your mind first.  If you want to change your life, you have to change your mind first.  Untie yourself from what is binding you and be free.

So, if you really want freedom. Let go of your fear and be whoever you wanted to be.  The world is your playground and people are your audience.

Signing off

-MisterWailor