#5 - Freedom is the most important thing
We need to develop radical inner freedom in order to awaken
To me, freedom is the most important thing in life! Being free is our true nature and it separates us from animals—but it requires courage and we need to fight for it every day.
While there are certain societal categories of freedom, like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of movement, I want to focus on true inner freedom in this article. The kind of freedom that allows us to fly.
Let us first look at two different basic personality types we find everywhere, who perceive the world in completely different ways, and then at the threat that technology poses to our freedoms. In the last part of this article, you will find concrete steps you can take to develop your inner freedom.
So let’s get started.
Two types of personalities - which one are you?
There are two types of humans: the ones that prefer (social) security and equality of outcome on the one hand side, and the ones that prefer freedom (of expression) and equality of opportunity on the other hand side. Both groups are in a constant struggle, and the one side that dominates at a given point in time, determines the overall level of freedom in a societey.
In socialist and/or authoritarian countries, the interests of the collective or the will of a small ruling class are more important than the freedom of the individual. The individual has to submit or will be crushed.
Free societies acknowledge the sanctity of the individual and only infringe on individual freedoms when absolutely necessary. The few truly freedom-oriented countries on earth typically have constitutions, that are based on Christian values. The US and Switzerland come to mind.
Other countries, particularly in Europe, have developed a blend of both—Christian foundations with individual rights and sizeable social security systems with high taxes. This European model has been quite robust as it has led to a certain economic equality—however, at the expense of individual freedoms and free markets. In recent years, I observe a trend towards more and more state and less freedom for the citizens of those countries though.
This is where I am at: While I believe that basic rules are necessary for a functioning society (please read my article “#3 - We need clear rules” dated January 13, 2024, for a deeper look into this topic ), I am clearly on the side of freedom. We can only unlock our full potentials, if we let go of fear and are willing to take risks.
And societies can only be changed from the bottom up—we have to change ourselves and society will change as a result.
Modern technology can be a threat to our freedoms
Whether we live in freedom-oriented societies or not, we all have to deal with the threats that new technologies pose. The surveillance capabilities of modern states are way more advanced than George Orwell could ever have imagined. Whether we talk about smart phones recording everything we do, cameras in public places, or cars tracking wherever we go. But we are not only monitored 24/7, we are being controlled by algorithms without even being aware of it.
Interestingly, we have voluntarily become slaves to our electronic devices, with the average person spending more than 4.5 hours on their phone every day as of 2024.
With that being said, I want to focus on inner freedom now—a freedom that everyone can develop regardless of the society he or she lives in and regardless of the technological threats that we may face.
The Bible says in Galations 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”—so let’s take a look at how we can achieve this.
How to become free
True freedom means radically being yourself in every situation, even if it is dangerous—freedom requires courage! Think about Jesus, a truly free man, who knew his mission and lived it, despite all the obstacles of an unfree society.
The question now becomes, how we can develop this radical kind of inner freedom in ourselves. Let me quote Osho, the Indian spiritual leader on this: “My vision of freedom is to be yourself. It is not a question of getting freedom from something. That freedom will not be freedom, because it is still given to you; there is a cause to it. The thing that you were feeling dependent on is still there in your freedom.”
So we need to find out who we really are, which requires honesty and courage. We need to let go of certain believes, unrealistic self-perceptions, family bonds that hinder us, our past, fear and ultimately our egos.
A am personally on this journey since I was a teenager, and it has been a story of slow progress and many set-backs. I have had different teachers over the years and now in my fourties, I can say that I am on the tight path. This is what I have learnerd:
God has created us and gave everyone of us a truly unique character. We have been given a mission in life, and if we are honest with ourselves, we know whether we are on the right track or not.
God talks to us whenever we ask. So if we want to know whether we are on the right path and what to do next, we just need to ask and we will receive very clear answers.
If we trust in the process and act accordingly, we will will live according to our mission—we are freeing ourselves in the sense mentioned in Osho’s quote.
Obstacles do emerge and sometimes we need help to overcome them. These are a couple of examples:
We are born into family systems that expect certain behaviors from us. We fear losing the love of our families if we free ourselves, which often times keeps us unfree for our entire lives. There are highly effective forms of therapy in order to tackle these issues, for instance working with family constellations.
Most of us are addicts and addicts can never be free. People are addicted to so many different things, including alcohol, drugs, food, media, work, fame, sex, status and many more. Often times, we are not even aware of our addictions. Getting rid of them requires growing awareness and discipline. However, sometimes we need help and therapy. In my experience, people who overcame addictions, are the most impressive of all as they have developed true inner strength and freedom.
Fear kills freedom. Whenever we are determined change our lives and to make drastical changes, our egos step in and disturb the process. The most effective method of our ego is the creation of fear. To me, there is only one way to battle fear: trust in God and in the path he has set us on!
Ultimately, we have to shatter our egos to become free and to discover who we really are. This is a life-long journey, and I frankly don’t know if we can ever be done with that. It is the way of prayer, love, healing and awakening.
Freedom “from” versus freedom “for” and freedom “to”
What we have focused on so far, has been freedom “from”. This is absolutely necessary in order to evolve, but we should not stop there.
The second kind of freedom is “freedom for”, which is a positive freedom. It is not about denying something but rather using our freedom “from” that we have developed, in order to become creators—to do something with our freedom.
And then there is the third freedom, the ultimate one. It is not against something, nor is it for something. First learn to say no, then learn to say yes, and then just forget both and just be! Once you achieve the third one, you are simply free.
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