Nov 7th, 2021: The Notion of Freedom

 

We might have a long discussion about this picture. Freedom and liberty are what we have heard a lot lately. More and more people are talking about how governments have slowly taken away their freedom. What is the true notion of freedom?

We can overcome the imprisonment of the self. Self-imposed imprisonment is the darkest place in our human existence. We want to cry out for help and yet experience an intense self-condemnation. We struggle to find our ways out, and yet, we don't see any hope.

It is more than a banner we choose to walk under. It is the promise we want to keep. We want to go beyond the superficiality of making a proclamation. We want to give our whole life to the freedom that lifts us up and sets us free.

It is a choice to fight against our addicted tendencies. We all struggle with one form of addiction or another. We might live in denial by not facing it. We are not free when we allow ourselves to be held back by our addiction to the self.

It is about having the ability to face our bondage. Bondage is more than just addicted behavior. It is our failure to deal with the intense hatred toward the self regardless of our achievements. We are at a loss amid our success. 

Self-control is the compass of our true freedom. We need to have a clear understanding of where we need to go and how we need to prepare to get there. Without a compass, our life will be full of insecurity. More importantly, true freedom depends on having a well-defined moral compass.

"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."

~Psalm 119:45

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly."

~John 10:10