Lately I have been
thinking a lot about freedom and what it actually really means (to
me).
We all want to be free, right? To be free is one of the essential human desires. Free from any kind of suppression, free from addictions, free from (false) believes, free from social and cultural standards and free from fear.
Then again there is a bunch of stuff that seems to keep us from freedom, like financial issues,
co-dependant inter-personal relationships, society, legal rules and rights and our own mind also, for that matter...(our mind often is a crazy little fuck-head that´s trying to lie to us and feed our fears.)
What does it mean to be free? Is it that money that allows us to live our life how we´d like to? Is it that confidence that allows us to act and shape our lifestyle and path how we want it to be? Is it our alleged free will? Is there a free will at all? Okay blah, this is getting way to philosophical and out of reach here...
What does it take for you to be and feel free?
We all want to be free, right? To be free is one of the essential human desires. Free from any kind of suppression, free from addictions, free from (false) believes, free from social and cultural standards and free from fear.
Then again there is a bunch of stuff that seems to keep us from freedom, like financial issues,
co-dependant inter-personal relationships, society, legal rules and rights and our own mind also, for that matter...(our mind often is a crazy little fuck-head that´s trying to lie to us and feed our fears.)
What does it mean to be free? Is it that money that allows us to live our life how we´d like to? Is it that confidence that allows us to act and shape our lifestyle and path how we want it to be? Is it our alleged free will? Is there a free will at all? Okay blah, this is getting way to philosophical and out of reach here...
What does it take for you to be and feel free?
What´s clear is, that
fear and addictions definitely prevent us from being free. Fear and addictions trap uns. They prevent uns from growing and living a happy, satsfied, fullfilled and free live. Fear and addictions are the antithesis of freedom.
There are more obvious
fears and addictions like fear of bugs, fear of barking dogs and fear
of heights or addictions to drugs, adrenaline and sex. Other fears
and addictions are less pronounced though, less obvious. Like fear of
loss and rejection or addictions to work, love and self-affirmation.
So where is the line here?
When does one have just a really good work-ethic and when is one
addicted to staying busy? When does one have an open heart and is an
lover of life and when is one addicted to be loved by everyone around
them? When does one just simply enjoy a good glass of wine four times
a week and when is one an alcoholic?
There comes a
double-standard also pretty easily along. Doing yoga on a regular
level and eating organic, but lighting up that cigarette an hour
later. Loving family, friends and lovers unconditionally but then
subconsciously expecting them to love you back the same way.
Considering yourself an honest person but then lying to your
professor about that essay you didn´t finish on time... (but hey, I
really didn´t feel good at all and there was just nooo way I could
fight that flue! >Insert nervous laughter< ...)
It is not even a goal of
mine to be a do-gooder. I like some of those vices and I would be
bored if I lived based on a standard to be truly free from everything
that´s considered a vice. Life is short, so let´s go have some fun,
you guys. But I think it is important to work towards a form of living that is the most healthy and benefitial for us. Whatever makes you happy and doesn´t harm anyone else. So I do want to quit smoking for example, at the latest
when I´ll be grown up (don´t raise your eyebrows, I can see that),
and yes sure, I do try to eliminate all of those fears that are just
rocks in my own way. But also, the main thing is to just be aware of
all of them and let them be. Well some of them, some really just
don´t...
Awareness gives you
control back into your own hands. Right where it belongs.
So yes I will go to uni
and finish up my studies instead of running away to some beachy
country I´d rather be in, I will work my ass off to make some dimes
instead of joining a commune and living an ostensible live free from
social standards and I will not allow my mind trying to tell me what
I should be afraid of or addicted to.
(And when that´s done, I
WILL run not away but towards some beachy country, let me promise you
that!)
seems like my glass just
got poured with some wine, so I have to go enjoy that, totally free
of course.
- Lots of Love to everyone
Dear Rosy Ruby!
AntwortenLöschenI am recently also thinking much about freedom in combination with addictions. I think freedom means also the freedom to notice the perceived good consequences of bad habits. I think being open to that, gets the negative emotions around the actions softened up.
For example, I want to stop smoking too. But to me, the validity of this habit lies in: having something to do in between various actions, having a moment to "come to myself", and, actually and paradoxically: if I don't have "bad" habits anymore, the perception of this free version of myself, scares me to death...while the "bad habits" keep me in a state of "groundedness", a "realistic'" approach to life, as...nobody is perfect...
Now...I am going to start to actualize my freedom by perceiving all the good in bad things, and see if I actually need the weight of imperfection to keep me on track...or ...the experience of perfection makes me live my life fearlessly and the "bad" stuff will fall away...as is said by so many masters...:-)
love to you!
hermieneke
hey Hermieneke,
AntwortenLöschenthank you very much for taking your time and read my blog. I also really appreciate your comment!
I think one should be careful to judge in "good" and "bad" stuff. Also, addiction and fear is mainly only rooted in our mind. They are not real, unless our mind gives them the power to be. Needyness in any way comes from imbalance and disconnection.
Only because the mind is the strongest voice in most people though (instead of intuition and the heart), addiction and fear recieve so much power.
I suggest to attempt this subject from a different angle. Instead of playing the guilt-card by judging smoking f.e. as a "bad habit" and justifying it at the same time (you say you feel more grounded and approaching life more realisticly by simply accepting those "flaws")maybe try to accept this weakness for now but also be dead-honest with yourself. Why do you have to give into this weakness? How would you feel if you would not hold on to it any longer? Would it really be that scary?
Maybe for some of us it would be scary but as soon as you feel as grounded and in balance from within and not with help from zigs or whatever the case might be, any addiction and fear will lose its strength to exist.