Taste of Freedom

Freedom, some say, is to do with the mind, and not so much an external reality, and sometimes one cannot help but agree to such a proposition. Whatever be the claims and counterclaims of existentialists and essentialists, regarding the absolute freedom that is accessible to human beings, one thing is for certain: it would be beyond the capacity of human beings to behold absolute freedom, because with a moral body and a limited earthly reality, we cannot think of coming in touch with freedom, which by its very nature is eternal and is a continuation of timelessness.

One of the biggest ironies of human existence is that the more we try to free ourselves from the shackles of time and space and dozens of limitations that life on earth imposes on us, the more we become conscious of the lack of freedom. In fact, it is this tension, on the one hand desiring to be freer, and on the other confined to narrower lanes of freedom, that we can live a healthy life. A leaning towards one side or the other is sure to create imbalance in our lives. Either the excess of freedom or the complete lack of it is contrary to healthy human existence.

The more we are free, the more we become unfree too; freedom from one thing does not include freedom from everything; freedom from a certain attachment or an evil tendency may draw me closer to another binding force, sometimes worse than the former. Therefore it is unreasonable to think that all freedom is positive; unbridled freedom is sure to cause negative effects in persons is a lesson that human history is full of. But how would I know how much freedom I require in order to live a happy and contended life?

Restrictions from social, cultural and religious spheres are there to help me make use of the limited freedom I enjoy, so that my life becomes meaningful. Let me cite an example. Look at a bird inside a cage! Is it free or is it not? We might be tempted to jump too fast and say that it is not free like a bird in the sky; but if a caged bird were to speak, it might tell us how happy it is inside the cage, enjoying the safety and security of a protected life; all its meals assured, the human company, and the outpouring of affection from the younger ones… Who says that it is not free inside a cage? Therefore freedom depends largely on whose perspective we take.

There is a modern verse, entitled Prisoner, which reads : Freeing from freedom, he freed himself! Is that not so meaningful? Actual freedom for this prisoner is to freeing himself from the thirst for freedom. One can find the most free person even in the most limiting situations, and the reverse too is true; one may feel suffocating even in the most free situations. Therefore one thing is certain: it is not the external situations, persons or things which make me really free or limit me; it is I who make myself free or bind myself to external realities. After all, in most of the cases, human beings are masters of the situations!