Is Freedom Just Another Word?

Do you want to feel freedom? Do you feel free?

These are two important questions, but it is also important to understand what the meaning is of the words “free” and “freedom.”

I have learned how important it is to have a clear idea of the meaning of words we use. First, here are some examples of self-limiting concepts of “freedom”. Then we will look at an alternative meaning.

False ideas of freedom (they don’t work)

I can do whatever I want. “Freedom” can mean, for example, “I can travel around the world without worry because I have plenty of money. And during that experience, I can drink and smoke without a care, and attend fun parties. And I can shop, and if lucky in life can buy expensive items for pleasure.” There are other versions that do not require as much funding, but in any case hopefully the idea is clear enough.

The quote above may sound like a caricature, but based on much I observe, this is at least one strand of thought that influences many people. The idea of a good time is keeping busy with pleasure (and often taking in a generous amount of alcohol or other mind-altering substances). What is the nagging feeling in the back of many peoples’ minds that there must be more, even when they have all the material signs of success? That nagging feeling drives people to harmful excesses, to try and escape the discomfort.

I can control my mental state with a proper choice of addictions. A sense that there is something missing is a reason for self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Those without substance abuse inclinations may pursue other addictions, such as workaholism, gambling, sex, and other activities that can be beneficial or enjoyable in a balanced life, but not when done compulsively as a way to distract oneself and to find a false sense of “freedom.”

Not caring about anything gives me freedom. In the Kris Kristofferson song “Me and Bobby McGee”, the lyrics say:

Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free

Note that the version sung by Janis Joplin distorted the second line into “Nothin’, don’t mean nothin’ hon’ if it ain’t free, no-no”, which has the opposite meaning to the original.

So in the song’s definition, in order to find freedom, you have to lose everything and feel empty. Not judging, but I feel sad if that is what freedom means! And the problem is, there is a hidden despair in the statement “I have nothing left to lose.” It is not a true and full “letting go.” There never was anything to lose or gain!

Not being busy is freedom. Many of us remember when we were told, starting in the 1980s, that with computers and automation life would become easy. The idea was that we would all have more free time to enjoy, and more freedom! Computers would provide nearly unlimited information and would figure out what we need, and robots would assemble our cars and other equipment. An easy life for us humans. So what happened to that? Have all the improvements in technology led to more global peace and joy?

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A different vision of freedom

All of the above visions of freedom rely on satisfying external needs such as enjoying indulgent consumption, or having a lot of free time, but these can never fully succeed because the true person and their organic needs are being ignored. The true person is always seeking awareness and meaningfulness. Focusing on external needs can never satisfy that need for awareness and meaningfulness, innate traits of every person.

How do we know that people seek meaning? One situation where we consistently see this is in natural disasters. We often hear, during and after natural disasters: “It was amazing how everyone pulled together. It felt like a real community. It was great.” Another example is when a person sacrifices his or her life, for a loved one or for a cause such as in military combat, for a believed-in purpose. The search for meaning is innately stronger even than the desire for life itself.

So is there a real freedom that we can count on and that is not self-destructive, and that instead provides meaning for oneself and others?

May I propose the somewhat radical idea that inner freedom is the real prize? Why is it the some people seem cheerful even when their surroundings and way of life seem far from ideal? And why, with seemingly wonderful lives, do some people suffer depression, drug or alcohol abuse, and other indicators of something going wrong?

At the end of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton sacrifices his life and says “It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known”. He was about to be executed on the guillotine, but his valuing of others’ happiness made that sacrifice an ennobling one for him. His heart was free and he was at peace.

In a slightly less dramatic setting, in the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, when the Jimmy Stewart character realizes that his life HAS been good, but that he is about to be arrested for a supposed financial crime, he exclaims joyfully and with excitement: “I’m going to jail!” This is one expression of the exuberance of true freedom, newly found.

How does that relate to us? With the noise of one’s own inner demands in a restless mind, and with outer chaos abundant in life, it can be hard to find our inborn voice of true freedom. When our mind lets go of the typical demands, the noise and self-blame quiets down, and we can experience unexplained joy.

How do we find that inner freedom? Millions of pages have been written trying to answer that question. But I have some answers; they are short here, but longer versions are available!

First, regarding orientation, I will offer this: speaking and acting from the heart, being attentive to others, and carrying no malice are essential for one’s own freedom.

In terms of actions: find good friends with loving and serious minds; allow time for peaceful reflection each day; and live a life that avoids doing harm and that does good for others. That is the visible expression of a positive orientation.

The ultimate benefit of following a path of the kind described here is a life of peace and meaningfulness, and a sense of freedom that cannot be easily shaken, or cannot be shaken at all. I hope we can all find that.