This morning one of my mentors posted a beautiful message about Freedom being a choice that we must exercise through our daily actions.
The post got me thinking about what Freedom means.
For me, Freedom is the choice we all have to do whatever it is we want to do, whenever we want to do it, without any constraints.
Here is the paradox, though. What we think of as Freedom is not really Freedom.
Let me explain what I mean here.
Imagine you desire to wake up at 6 am. 6 am arrives the next day, and there is a battle inside your head between you and your mind. Your mind says, ” You have not had a good sleep. So, it is okay to sleep some more.” There a voice deeper than your mind that says, ” get up and conquer your day.”
Now, you give in to the voice of your mind, and you continue sleeping. You don’t wake up at 6 am.
Was this choice to continue sleeping Freedom?
NO, this was not Freedom. You have a desire and a resolve to wake up at 6 am, but you have no control over your mind. It convinces you to continue sleeping even though YOU want to wake up at 6 am. So, the reality is that your mind controls your Freedom (choice to do what you want to do). In this example, you are a hostage of your mind with no freedom.
True Freedom, therefore, is in your ability to make choices that are not dictated by how your mind feels at any time.
- You have chosen to start a new habit that requires consistent discipline. Your mind wants to sabotage your discipline with all kinds of excuses. True Freedom is in being true to your true desire without letting circumstances derail you.
- You have decided to go on a no-carb, no-sugar diet because it’s vital for your health. True Freedom is in being able to ignore the temptations of a sinful cookie.
- You know what the right thing to do is. True Freedom is in not letting your circumstances and mind convince you that it is okay to do otherwise.
I am revising my own definition of what freedom means.
Freedom is our ability to make difficult choices without being dictated by the feelings of our minds.
It is for this reason that we say our mind is a terrible master but a fantastic slave.