Freedom, say it to yourself...what comes to mind? The demolition of the Berlin wall...or the perfect surf spot? The philosophy of freedom is associated with liberty, which as Wikipedia would have it is the condition in which an individual has the ability to act according to his or her own will. Liberty and freedom, sound good to you?
But how do we get it?
Liberty and freedom are always talked about. Trust me I work in a restaurant that pays poorly and I’m surrounded by poor and hormonal students...you name it we’ve whined about it. And Liberty and freedom are at the top of the list.
You wanna get it? Then you gotta figure out what it is.
Quote “Freedom is when you got nothing else to lose.” I work with a buddy of mine every Saturday in a restaurant that’s part of a pretty big chain. I won’t mention names, so that I can say whatever I like. ;-)
Girl troubles. You can tell when a guys having them. His shoulders are slunk, conversations dryer than normal and every other word is a sigh. Walking around in a daze thinking about how to put things right. We are completely, utterly, pathetic. But we’d never let you know that. She’s got you by the heart strings and you need to pull something out of your pocket just so you can see her smile again. Normally the kinds of stunts we plan in this situation are dubbed, “Going for broke” and normally we wouldn’t do something this daring. But when we’ve got nothing else to lose, well my buddy figures that’s when we’re free. Maybe he’s on to something.
I thought freedom came at a price. In order to achieve my freedom I might need an eye opening amount of money. How do I get this money? I work. A lot. Thinking about that doesn’t make me feel very “free” and I won’t be. Not at first. But eventually I will be able to “afford” to be free. I’ll be able to afford freedoms “Price”. Right? I don’t know...what would I buy? A car? That could get me places, but then there’s insurance, tax, MOT. Money, money, money. That means more hours at work, and that means less “Feeling free.” Freedom’s looking expensive. But is that where it is? At the end of the working tunnel? In my view to achieve freedom, I’ll have to wait till
retirement. That can’t be right. Something’s wrong here.
So far we have two extreme views of freedom.
One, have nothing.
Two, have everything.
Neither of those views are going to work...not on their own...but what if we mix things up a little? Why must freedom be a final destination, the end of my journey? Why do I have to struggle up till that point?
See the truth is...going for broke? Is a last minute ditch attempt at a daring rescue...you’ve usually reached rock bottom around then, not so fun. And having everything? That’s just placing faith in material possessions...you’ll get bored of that sofa pretty quick.
Maybe there is no finding happiness...but instead there is being happy. What I’m about to say may sound different, but if you look at it closely it could be the key to a few things...
Ghandi, an internationally esteemed Indian philosopher once said “be the change...you want to see”.
Why?
Well, what if...you learn to enjoy life, learn to smile. Laugh things off; let it roll of your back. Focus on the good, strengthen the bad...let the stress go. I’m not saying be happy where you are, you can stick that idea because I don’t want to work in a restaurant all my life...I’m simply saying try out a few of these things...and you'll begin to learn how to begin being free.
We're so used to having a confined way of thinking, with most of us just about concentrating on survival that we dont really know what freedom is. Or how to allow ourselves to feel it.
But after adopting these "outside the box" habits, I think you’ll start seeing things in a different light...I honestly believe that when you reach this achievable height...you’ll have the clarity to figure out your freedom pretty quickly...and have a better time doing it and a better chance of achieving it.
Be carefree, but not too carefree...get a good balance...and your well on your way.
Now I don’t have this down to a fine art, at the end of the day this is just a view. But at least it’s a view that comes from a guy in the same shoes.
But for what it's worth, my two cents? ...Mix it up a little.
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