Because how could I not try my hand at a prompt that's got my own sweet derriere as the cover?
Freedom's actually been on my mind a fair bit this past year or so, as I come to redefine some things for myself. It seems to me that even asking
What's freedom?
Is ludicrous in this 'enlightened' day and age. We're supposed to know, and sure, don't we? Freedom's that thing where you get to do as you please, when you please, with whom you please. We live in the bejeweled era of the self, the cult of me where my wants and whims take the mantle of law. In my own private kingdom, at least.
We're told utopia lies in being selfish, in acting in self-interest even when it contradicts the greater good. In taking love that's not our own. In stepping on others' hearts and dreams if we think that's gonna help our journey, or at the very least, entertain us for the evening. Freedom by 21st century standards seems incredibly fickle.
And isn't it depressing that, despite this cult of me, most people are shunning individuality and running desperately to join the first stupid herd that crosses their meadow? Isn't that a bizarre paradox? A perfect environment for cognitive dissonance.
So then, what's an alternate definition for freedom?
Lounging by the seaside, having coffee, having met a bunch of awesome people is my favorite kind of freedom.
For me, freedom refers to freedom of movement, something that was sorely abused during the lockdowns. For me, freedom means the freedom to choose for myself and decide for myself who I am and what I need.
Freedom, also, can mean taking what you need, but there are provisions and caveats attached. Freedom shouldn't mean the ability to take gratuitously, in another's detriment, nor should it mean flicking off the consequences of your actions later on.
You can only have freedom when you're prepared and willing to deal with the consequences of your free choices.
As a society, it's necessary that we ask our free agents to also take responsibility and own the results of their personal freedom, otherwise we get chaos. It's a sound rule, so why is that so hard to follow?
I think freedom is the ability to go anywhere you like in the world, but also the freedom to be cautious as you go and not litter your path. Fair, no?
For me, an important element of personal freedom right now is accountability. For what I take. For the footsteps I leave behind me. And the first person to hold me thus accountable is generally myself. When I sense I'm veering off course into someone I don't wanna be, I tug self by the sleeve until I'm back on my right path.
Tricks for hanging loose, I don't particularly got, but if there's one rule I try my best to follow, it's this one:
It's a quote from a famous speech and basically, the idea is that true freedom (and implicitly true continuous growth) means keeping yourself open to the possibility that at any moment, what you know, what you think is true or right might change. It means constantly digesting new information, processing new encounters and giving them the power to change little essential things about you. Hanging loose when all you wanna do is hanker down and hold tight.
Freedom is embracing that great vulnerability that belies all human beings. Giving a platform to that little voice at the back of our heads that knows we could be wrong. That we are, after all, very small and prone to mistakes and assumptions. But we can can change, and in changing, are allowed to grow.
