Musings on Freedom

It's our Independence Day tomorrow. And before we get all giddy about having the day off and pissed that the 4th didn't fall on a Thursday this year so we could get 2 days off and lazy from eating mounds of junk food I thought I would talk a little about freedom and what it means to me.

I think that we all want a little more freedom in our lives. Freedom to do what we want, freedom to have what we want. But I think many times on the way to achieve that freedom we become less free. We become controlled by the things we have and the goals we strive for.



If you are so focused on a goal that's 5 to 10 years out you can loose sight of what's happening in your life right now. If every single thing you do is to get you a step closer to that goal then you miss out on a lot of other opportunities that could be better. If you strive to buy a boat you may end up being a slave to taking care of it and maintaining it. Our dreams are always more glittery than reality.

I think that true freedom is being able to make conscious decisions every step of the way and not being persuaded by someone or something to make a specific decision or take a specific step. And having the accurate information and knowledge to make a conscious decision in the first place.

To me, freedom is closely related to contentment, of a burden being lifted from your shoulders, of a refreshing understanding that you have control over your life and you are the only one responsible for it. That's why our ancestors built America in the first place. So they could make decisions for their own lives and take the responsibility. It's sad that all to often today we tend to give away our control to others, to products and to our politicians. And that we resent our responsibility over our own lives.

I'm going to be enjoying my day off tomorrow too. And I hope that in all the partying we remember the amazing freedom we have to shape and move our lives down the paths we want. And I hope we embrace the responsibility of our lives. It really is a wonderful feeling.