Nothing is more precious than freedom. Nothing is more horrible than slavery. We live in a free country, a democracy, enjoying an affluent, booming economy.
We live in a liberal culture, where everyone pursues their own path to self-expression and self-fulfilment. In our pluralistic society, differences of opinions, cultures and choices are a fact of life. We live in a political system built on the freedom of choice. We hold free and fair elections.
We live in a religious ecosystem that guarantees freedom of creed and worship in a tolerant and respectful pluralism.
The list of freedoms is much longer and can easily be mis/taken for a litany of blessings.
Yet, despite all our freedoms, in reality we are somewhere between a rock and hard place. Life is not simple, and never will be. Each glorious blessing can easily cover a horrible curse lurking beneath the cultural air we breathe. Society is enmeshed in a self-centred, unbridled individualism that turns our apparent freedoms into a form of slavery.
True freedom is acknowledging that it is only what we lovingly give that is and remains truly ours
Democracy can easily become pure political manipulation and corrupt manoevering of power. Affluence can easily become a well-groomed ecosystem built on sheer consumerism, self-satisfaction and hollow social status. Liberalism can easily become a self-centred individualism that isolates people and poisons relationships.
Pluralism can easily become a convenient and effective escape from accountability, community building or sense of belonging. It can isolate people and lock them in their little self-centred worlds, all in the name of freedom of expression. Politics can easily become a struggle for power, self-promotion, corrupt and oppressive manipulation. Civil service becomes unrecognisable, ending up being neither civil nor a service.
Religion itself can easily become a rigid establishment, grounded in customs, traditions, dogmas and superstitious fearmongering to somehow please some divine super power that people try to harness to work in their favour.
We are lucky to live in a civilised, progressive and free country. Yet, woe to us if we rush headlong and succumb to the glamour of false freedoms. This blinds us to the true freedom that ensures our dignity, security and meaningfulness in life.
True freedom is the ability to say ‘no’ to ourselves and accept whenever life says ‘no’ to us, rather than the illusion that we can have it all, all the time.
True freedom is accepting to do what we can do, and humbly renouncing what we are unable to.
True freedom is acknowledging that it is only what we lovingly give that is and remains truly ours. Having it all, all the time is pure illusion.
True freedom is gratefully accepting whenever and whatever life gives us, rather than wanting it all, here and now.
True freedom is serenely living with what we receive rather than by what we achieve.
True freedom is discovering that life is a pure gift to be humbly and gratefully embraced rather than a project to be accomplished.
True freedom is the ability to constantly, through thick and thin, say ‘thank you’ for what life gives us and say a liberating ‘goodbye’ to what life takes away from us.
False freedoms enslave us. True freedom makes us human and divine.