If I ask you what you want in life, you may say more money, a better job, or a bigger house. Or you may say happiness, purpose, or independence.
But if we look deeply, freedom is all we want. That’s it.
A Fleeting Experience of Freedom
The day I left my first corporate job 7 years after college, an inexplicable sense of freedom overwhelmed me.
When I walked out of that building for the last time, my heart was filled with joy. My feet were light. My grin was uncontrollable.
It was a glorious day. The sun was beaming. I marched on Second Street in San Francisco. I didn’t know where I was going, but it didn’t matter.
I was free. It felt like the world was mine, and I was the world. I was ready to move on. I could go anywhere.
The experience, however, was rather short lived. It lasted for a few days.
This made me wonder, “What Is freedom?”
“Can I find more of it?”
What Freedom Is Not
Once, I was playing basketball with a group. In between every single game, one guy on my team had to take a cigarette break.
When I observed that, I wondered if having the ability to do whatever you want — to smoke whenever the body calls for — is a form of freedom. I didn’t think so.
When we cling to a material solution to avoid our pain or discomfort, we are not free. While the solution may numb us and bring temporary relief, we know this hurts us in the long run. We are imprisoned by the very thing that we thought might bring us freedom.
So What is Freedom Then?
Freedom is the moment we accept. We see the true nature of things. We don’t fabricate a distorted view of the world. We provide space for what’s good and agreeable. We provide space for what’s bad and unpleasant. We accept who we are.
Freedom is the moment we think we have enough. There is no need for more. We don’t need to be wealthier, more beautiful, or more influential. We are fine as we are.
Freedom is the moment we recognize there is abundance. There is more than enough in the world when we share. There is enough sunlight for everyone. We don’t need to keep the sun to ourselves. We don’t have to hoard.
Freedom is the moment we let go of stuff. We are born without material possessions. We will die the same way. There is no need to hold our fists tight. We can open our palms.
Freedom is the moment we let go of outdated ideas. We question whether these ideas are serving us, or we are serving the ideas. We leave behind the baggage from our trauma. We remove assumptions that no longer make sense.
Freedom is the moment we savor. We slow down. We stop running. We eat a piece of fruit, and we taste the goodness of the earth. We sit in a park, and we listen to the wonderful sounds of nature. We spend time with each other, and fully enjoy each other’s presence.
Freedom is the moment we listen to the good desires in our hearts. We pay attention to the soft but firm voices that call us to be better. We grow. We change. We do what we are called to do.
Freedom is the moment we discover what’s already in us. We recognize our gifts. We use our talents. We learn from our missteps. We transform our mistakes into wisdom. We use our weakness to its full potential. We find meaning and purpose inside ourselves.
Freedom is the moment we share. We give what we love. We spread what we learn. We multiply happiness. We recognize we are a community of brothers and sisters.
Freedom is the moment we are present. We know joy and happiness is not somewhere remote, or sometime in the future. The past is gone, and the future is too far away. There is only now.
Freedom is the moment we open ourselves to the world. We are available to possibilities. We embrace change with open arms. We have courage to go down an unfamiliar path.
Freedom is the moment we love. We act in the best interest of another person. We put others above ourselves. We care. We tell each other, “Don’t worry. I am here for you.”
Freedom is the moment we recognize meaning in our suffering. We see growth amid discomfort. We see joy amid pain. We see love amid sacrifices.
Freedom is the moment we become alive. Our body, mind and spirit is in the same place. We are engaged, focused, and enlightened. We know our place in the world.
Freedom is the moment we experience transcendence. We know we are part of something bigger. There are no boundaries. There is no left or right. There is no blue or red. There is no in or out. Everything is interconnected. Everything is in inseparable.
Freedom is in the mind. Freedom is a choice. Freedom is a commitment. Freedom is in every moment. Freedom is right here.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning