What does freedom mean to you?
To define freedom we would each say something similar but yet so different. That is because freedom means many things. Let's have a look -
- liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another
- the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
- unrestricted use
- the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous
- the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
Freedom...the possibilities are limitless. Freedom to live how one pleases, freedom to go wherever one wants, freedom to not have authorities limit you, freedom of speech, freedom from debt, freedom from burdens. When asked what being free means to me, I would say the freedom from within is the most important. We could have all of the freedom in the world and still enslave our very own mind, body and soul. On the other hand, we could have limitations stopping us from doing many things, yet we could still have freedom. Releasing ourselves from the burden that we carry, is freedom. Letting go of all the worries that come to us on a daily basis, is freedom. Allowing our inner self to be happy, is freedom.
Truthfully, if you asked me if I was free, I would give you a big hell no. What is stopping me from being free though? I have the ability to do damn near anything that I want. Why am I not free? I'm not free because I have allowed my mind to lock me inside of my own prison. Ironically though, I have the freedom to set myself free. Being free to me, starts from how we feel inside. Many say that freedom means to live carefree, we can't do that if we don't release many of those burdens from within. By holding on to them, we don't do anything but make matters worse.
My husband is a good example of this. He made some bad choices a few years ago and now has to pay the consequences. His literal freedom is being taken away from him in a few weeks when he goes to prison. You can read his story here. Yet, he has finally found his freedom from within. He isn't as stressed as he was, he isn't showing as much concern as he was. I on the other hand, have been a stay at home mother for three years and I am now forced to suddenly become a single mother but I am still the one with the freedom. I am the one who the freedom remains with, the freedom to do as I please. The freedom to eat when I want, use the phone, get on Steemit. Yet, I feel so far from free. I feel like the walls are all closing in around me. The door is slammed shut with noone to let me out.
I have always locked myself inside of my own prison, many of us have probably done the same. It is so easy for us to take away our own freedom. I understand that other places don't have the freedom like we do and with that, I do believe the freedom from within can still be found. Just like with my husband, it's finding that inner peace. We need to allow ourselves to feel contentment. @apolymask, the one who asked us to say what we feel freedom means, says this about freedom-
I'm of the belief that true freedom is dangerous, but.. I think true slavery is even more dangerous.
This is pretty powerful. It actually goes two different ways, one side could mean the authorities taking away our freedom and the other is our mind taking away our own freedom, both are serious matters. True freedom is dangerous, any form of freedom can in fact get us in trouble if we abuse our right to have freedom. Slavery is worse though, if the authorities took away almost all of our freedom like they do in some places, that leaves us feeling as though we have nothing to live for. True slavery from within is dangerous too. Take it from me, it will ruin your life worse than the problems that are making you feel enslaved by your own mind.
Some days, I want to give up and I have the freedom to do just that. It isn't because the government is taking away what many feel to be freedom. There is an issue in the US now with the right to bear arms feeling like it is being taken away. I don't want to give up because the freedom to my Second Amendment is being tampered with. What about the freedom of speech? I don't want to give up because I might get a verbal harassment charge for telling someone to fuck off. I sometimes want to give up because I have allowed myself to have no freedom from the burdens I have. Again, this is what freedom means to me. As I said, we will all have our own way to define freedom.
What about in the 60s and 70s, do you think hippies felt free then? @bashadow wrote a really cool musical tribute to freedom that mentioned this too but it is so true. I bet they wouldn't have accomplished their goal if they had absolutely no freedom from within. In music, we can hear a lot of emotions just by listening to the words. Many of those, have the sound of being free and many do not. Those who don't, are people who have millions of dollars, they can live free. No, not all of the songs were written and said the be 100% true but majority of them are truthful. Yet, so many people with so much freedom, are not free.
What do we do about it? To set ourselves free, we really need to find that inner peace. Taking it back to the hippies for a second here, we need to find something we love, something worth being free for. We need to love it and we need to believe in it. Worrying and stress does nothing but put up even more blocks, we need to release every burden that we have, let all of those feelings go. I think actually taking the chance at freedom is an important step too. We do have the freedom to change and learn from our mistakes, so that is what we need to do. We do have the freedom to change our lives and do better and be better, so that is what we need to do. Whatever it is that is holding us back, there are ways to break free. Once we break free from those people, places or things that hinder our ability to be truly happy and content, only then will we be set free. Do what makes you happy.
Helping freedom grow is difficult depending on how we look at it. I don't know a solution to helping other places with freedom from authorities. I do know that we all have freedom of speech as long as we do not abuse it. We all have our own opinions and our own thoughts. However, effective communication can get you very far. Accepting forms of freedom that are not your own, helps freedom grow. I talked about this a little the other day when it comes to so many people being judgmental. The freedom to express our thoughts to the world, no matter how different they might be, is a good step to helping freedom grow. Letting other people know that they are not alone, helps freedom grow. This goes with all of those things that make people feel free not just freedom from within. Stand up for what you believe in, make changes with others and with yourself. Use freedom to spread freedom.
Thanks to Steemit and those at @ifc, I just had the freedom to write out my thoughts and feelings which to me is like therapy.
The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage. - Carrie Jones
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