The Freedom to Be Free
Can people be asked to appreciate only one freedom, namely, the freedom to be free? Thus, not the freedom to incarcerate oneself or others?
You might already know I’m talking about the ego: the self-referenced, overly conceptual part of any total person. Please read ‘The Story of Ego.’
Ego wants an illusion of freedom.
As a matter of fact, since ego lives in illusion. There is no living reality in any overly conceptual viewpoint by itself. Hindus/Buddhists call this ‘Maya.’ I elsewhere denote it as the consequence of the basic cognitive illusion.
Yet, within this illusion, ego is alive and kicking ― if need be, all the time and to a huge degree.
Ego also wants to incarcerate everything it cannot directly control. Logically, one can see such incarceration as the second line of control. Unfortunately, there is an infinity of lines to be encountered when one makes the utterly exhausting effort.
Oh, being tired.
Many people who clamor for freedom are incarcerated in themselves. They get freedom at most in illusion only.
The freedom to be free
As free as the grass grows, yes, naturally free, born free, not in an illusion, but in nature itself!
There is only one human freedom: the freedom of being a total person.
Freedom of speech?
For instance, freedom of speech is only meaningful if it’s the speech of a total person ― certainly not that of an illusory ego. To gain broad freedom, it is mandatory to put effort into it. This may be counter-intuitive for someone who thinks ‘free’ means something like ‘without constraints.’
Think again. Ego knows no constraints – for itself. Contrary to this, it puts them on others in order to not let them (or one’s deeper self) constrain itself in a zero-sum of freedom. But that is not freedom at all.
Genuine freedom of speech is, first and foremost, the freedom to listen to others.
As said, ego is a great illusionist.
Even more, the biggest ego carries the biggest illusions. Thus, it can hold to others a mirror of freedom. In that case, look again: there is no space behind the mirror, no expansive landscape ― just quicksilver, and even that only in a solid state.
The freedom to senselessly scold is no freedom of speech, nor is flipping out whatever comes to one’s tongue under free speech pretense.
Likewise, the freedom to manipulate others is no freedom of any total person. Therefore, it is no freedom to be free at all.
On the other hand, the freedom to deeply fall into oneself, come out again, and strive to free all sentient beings is real ― even if it’s impossible to accomplish.
The freedom to care is real ― whether in action or warm and friendly meditation.
Related Posts
Neurophilosophy
Increasingly, there is no place for philosophy apart from knowledge about the mind/brain. Individual philosophers have always been most concerned with understanding their own minds, albeit with meager means. Meaning of life, origin of knowledge, definition of time, standard of morality, etc. Philosophy has been going on for a few millennia in East and West Read the full article…
The Illusion of Understanding
Why we think we know — and what it costs us We live in an age that celebrates knowledge, measures it, monetizes it, and builds systems around it. But how much of what we call ‘understanding’ is real — and how much is illusion? What do we miss when we stop questioning? This blog explores Read the full article…
Insight is a Path
The way one reaches an insight is at least as important as the insight itself, viewed as an accomplished piece of knowledge. This is highly important in many situations. Please read [see: “Insight is Not a Supermarket“] Close to wisdom As I use the term, insight is more than just an intellectual idea. It always Read the full article…