Sunday Stream (8) ~ on Freedom
Posted: November 21st, 2004, 11:34 am
Freedom
An ill-used word...Freedom...to be free from restraint, to be free from bondage, to be free to speak your words, to be free of government interferences, to be free to do what you would like to do, to have open space not belonging to anyone, and on and on...
Without this intangible, freedom, love cannot fully exist. Freedom is a sacred thing, the holy space from which love is born. The freedom to pursue one's dreams, one's ideals, must have freedom first. But if the essence of freedom is found within us, deep within our consciousness, is that enough for our love to bloom? Once we find this freedom that transcends our material wants/needs, we find that we do indeed have all the freedom we require to love - our most important human quality.
Freedom in a material sense, like the freedom to gather as much money as one can, leaves others shortchanged, whether it be through their own ignorance, or their own ability to defend themselves from those that feel a need to gather as much material wealth as possible. Is this truly what we can call 'freedom'? Using others for our own material prosperity is akin to a type of slavery...having another work for your own personal gain.
Freedom in the sense of speaking your own mind is certainly necessary, because without that liberty, how can one communicate their desires, their wants, and most importantly their needs? However, in a similar vein, let us substitute 'words' for 'money' - we have 'words' being used to make better our own worth thru the belittlement of others. Not a kind and just thing to do. More succinctly -words used as proclamations of ego-enhancement have the power to reduce another to a subservient position, either thru force or ignorance upon another.
Freedom to create is important, unless that which is created is born of ill-intent. One can create a weapon of mass destruction, but is that weapon to be used for defense or offense? Whereas a work of art is non-aggressive in that it only makes an image. A poem only defines the thought of the writer.
So we find two things in opposition here: freedom and ignorance. Ignorance is not to be taken as stupidity, but simply choosing to ignore. If we choose to ignore something we are missing out on learning more, not only of the material, but more of our Self which retards our own freedom.
If all this sounds rather confusing and it is about freedom, and there is so much more to be said about freedom, how can we possibly agree as to what freedom truly means? If we envision freedom with putting others at risk, if we equate freedom to taking from others, if we imagine freedom at a cost to our environs... it is not true freedom, but only a false sense of security... limited by material gain.
The only complete freedom we can have is by returning to our Self...not through philosophies or religions, and not through politics, but through a genuine return within, through our own psyche, beyond our ego, past our chattering mind...for it is only there that we can realize what freedom honestly is – the Great Liberation from conditionings of Religions, Philosophies, Politics and from our fears, doubts and inhibitions. This liberation transcends the material, but also shapes our material existence. Reconnecting our true, given freedom that lies within brings us an ease with which we can feel what free is - no more belief systems, no more placing responsibility upon others for our well-being, no more doubt as to why we are here, no more questioning reality, no more using others for our own selfish gains, no more fears provoking defense posturing...indeed free from all the chains binding us to leaders, to nations, to believers...free from those things that we have been conditioned to accept, follow and trust without first knowing our true Self... the source of Being. Meditation is the knob that opens the door to Self, available to all... the Universal Gift.
From that highest peak of Freedom that we all can stand at our full potential and witness the greatest of mankind’s ability: Love - the mystical connection that unites us all with all of life. Thus redeemed the Garden is once again returned by the journey through our Mind Jungle where clarity awaits our arrival.
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power”. -- Tao Te Ching
Peace and Ease,
cecil
[originally written 5/25/02, revised 11/21/04]
An ill-used word...Freedom...to be free from restraint, to be free from bondage, to be free to speak your words, to be free of government interferences, to be free to do what you would like to do, to have open space not belonging to anyone, and on and on...
Without this intangible, freedom, love cannot fully exist. Freedom is a sacred thing, the holy space from which love is born. The freedom to pursue one's dreams, one's ideals, must have freedom first. But if the essence of freedom is found within us, deep within our consciousness, is that enough for our love to bloom? Once we find this freedom that transcends our material wants/needs, we find that we do indeed have all the freedom we require to love - our most important human quality.
Freedom in a material sense, like the freedom to gather as much money as one can, leaves others shortchanged, whether it be through their own ignorance, or their own ability to defend themselves from those that feel a need to gather as much material wealth as possible. Is this truly what we can call 'freedom'? Using others for our own material prosperity is akin to a type of slavery...having another work for your own personal gain.
Freedom in the sense of speaking your own mind is certainly necessary, because without that liberty, how can one communicate their desires, their wants, and most importantly their needs? However, in a similar vein, let us substitute 'words' for 'money' - we have 'words' being used to make better our own worth thru the belittlement of others. Not a kind and just thing to do. More succinctly -words used as proclamations of ego-enhancement have the power to reduce another to a subservient position, either thru force or ignorance upon another.
Freedom to create is important, unless that which is created is born of ill-intent. One can create a weapon of mass destruction, but is that weapon to be used for defense or offense? Whereas a work of art is non-aggressive in that it only makes an image. A poem only defines the thought of the writer.
So we find two things in opposition here: freedom and ignorance. Ignorance is not to be taken as stupidity, but simply choosing to ignore. If we choose to ignore something we are missing out on learning more, not only of the material, but more of our Self which retards our own freedom.
If all this sounds rather confusing and it is about freedom, and there is so much more to be said about freedom, how can we possibly agree as to what freedom truly means? If we envision freedom with putting others at risk, if we equate freedom to taking from others, if we imagine freedom at a cost to our environs... it is not true freedom, but only a false sense of security... limited by material gain.
The only complete freedom we can have is by returning to our Self...not through philosophies or religions, and not through politics, but through a genuine return within, through our own psyche, beyond our ego, past our chattering mind...for it is only there that we can realize what freedom honestly is – the Great Liberation from conditionings of Religions, Philosophies, Politics and from our fears, doubts and inhibitions. This liberation transcends the material, but also shapes our material existence. Reconnecting our true, given freedom that lies within brings us an ease with which we can feel what free is - no more belief systems, no more placing responsibility upon others for our well-being, no more doubt as to why we are here, no more questioning reality, no more using others for our own selfish gains, no more fears provoking defense posturing...indeed free from all the chains binding us to leaders, to nations, to believers...free from those things that we have been conditioned to accept, follow and trust without first knowing our true Self... the source of Being. Meditation is the knob that opens the door to Self, available to all... the Universal Gift.
From that highest peak of Freedom that we all can stand at our full potential and witness the greatest of mankind’s ability: Love - the mystical connection that unites us all with all of life. Thus redeemed the Garden is once again returned by the journey through our Mind Jungle where clarity awaits our arrival.
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power”. -- Tao Te Ching
Peace and Ease,
cecil
[originally written 5/25/02, revised 11/21/04]
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