Hello Steemit,
Often I wonder about this, is there truly freedom or the ability to act selflessly in the world, in the precise sense of the word.
Freedom - the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved / the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.
Selflessness - concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.
Starting with freedom, because why not? Are we truly free to think speak or act in the way we wish, when all of our thoughts come from ourselves, our programming, our conditioning.
Societal pressures, financial, friends family and peers, our need for shelter, food, even love and acceptance. They all contribute to shaping our behavior, the way our thoughts translate into actions in this shared environment.
The only way to be truly free is to disregard all of the above, act in an enlightened state, consider the micro and the macro, is in my opinion to lose the flesh that you are 'trapped' within, and free your mind from the shackles that bind.
While you are bound within your body you will always be driven by base urges such as the above. On what level are you experiencing true freedom?
Now for selflessness, how often have we considered giving to another without any possible gain for ourselves. To me this is an almost impossible act, we give to another to feel good about the act of giving, this fuzzy-vibe we gain is a net-benefit for the individual, and therefore it is not selfless to give to another due to the feelgood that goes along with it.
For example the soldier who jumps on the grenade to save his fellows, he is acting out of a preservation of the many (his many), in some ways the continuation of his species, his ideals and his way of life, which is being driven at the end of a cannon at another society.
The person who donates to charity just to claim it back on tax, this is a zero sum game, you are giving only to receive back in return. Again, what seems to be a selfless act actually ends up being rather selfish when the perspective is pulled out a little further.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be selfless, I think it is a beautiful glorious thing to be considerate of the many over the few, I just ask dearest reader, that you consider your motivations for that selfless act.
Perhaps ponder on exactly why you are donating to charity, or exclaiming your freedom at the expense of another, instead of pushing currency at the problem, try donating some of your time, buy the unfortunate a meal instead of handing over coin or give some consideration to the other side of the coin.
Just a thought. If you have any input I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Peace, love and empowerment to all of you dearest readers. <3
Special thank you to @creativesoul, @dswigle and @unspeakableme for assisting me with this.
