To be free is to live in the pure ecstasy of liberation within and without. Freedom is a birthright and a fundamental component of our ultimate wellbeing. However, many of us feel shackled to the confines of our circumstances; whether it is the jobs or relationships that we are involved in or the seemingly unfortunate chain of predicaments that we may find ourselves completely consumed by.
Yet the irony is that a majority of us simply live under the illusion of entrapment, discovering that most of our inhibitions are simply a product of self-defeating and self-demeaning behaviours. Consequently, our ability to move and flow into a more meaningful life is left debilitated. The truth is, most of us are free, yet we lack the tools and insight to accept the responsibility that comes with freedom. You see, the funny thing about freedom is that you have to know what you’re doing with it. I’ve encountered this paradox of feeling completely trapped by my own freedom time and time again.
Often accompanied by this sense of the lack of freedom are the endless ruminations and detrimental thought spirals that lead to dead ends. The mind runs wild, playing out old patterns like a broken record, repeatedly resulting in the disappointment of falling back to square one. It is a painful and tiring space to exist in because one can feel as though they have run a marathon without actually having moved at all. This can eventually compound itself into a state of suspended animation, leaving one wandering astray in a labyrinth of anxiety and meaninglessness.
Perhaps one may come to realize that they do not really know themselves at all. Perhaps one may come to realize that what once mattered to them now does not matter to them at all. And perhaps one may come to realize that they have forgotten how to think and feel for themselves. Although the realization of these dilemmas has the tendency to tear a life to shreds, it also marks the beginning of discovering who and what we really are, and thus the true maturation process.
If we haven’t the slightest clue of who we are in the midst of chaos, how can we learn to know ourselves better? It must be considered that every person is different. Crafting order in a way that is unique, specific and important to an individual is necessary and calls for an intensive re-evaluation of morals, interests, values and the overarching existential question of what it means to be alive in this world. To really know ourselves better we must attend the minute particulars and enquire closely what matters to us at heart. Matters of the heart eventually become the framework by which we practice our freedom.
So what does it mean to be free? It starts with the recognition of freedom. When we recognize our freedom we begin the process of accepting our death. With accepting our death we recognize the responsibility and bravery it takes to live our lives. You see, the fear of freedom is not unlike our fear of death. Our fear of death is truly the fear of life.
Freedom is learning how to live from within oneself and expressing that into outer reality. Freedom is the process of unravelling who and what we are, and what we are not. We learn with time to navigate the grey areas of life because nothing is ever black and white. We learn to know ourselves a little better so that we may begin to live authentically, driven by an inner sense of purpose.
Life is understood most eloquently through patterns, sequences, relationships and narrative. We can use this to our advantage through integrative practices that uplift our experience of reality. If we were to become the true authors of our lives we would pursue our joy and listen with our intuition. This effectively crafts interconnected and meaningful stories, ultimately fulfilling our inherent desire and quest for purpose. It takes some form of order to make sense of the very nature of reality, which often feels like a slurry of knowns and unknowns. It takes utilizing your joy and intuition as a compass with which to navigate reality and thus move us into a space of peace. Else, we may find ourselves adrift in a sea chaos, with our existence coated in white-washed nihilism.
Cosmic Lemonade 