As I write this, we are just days away from a huge milestone, the 250th birthday of the United States.
The United States was founded on the principle of freedom. Since the beginning of recorded time most human beings have lived under the yoke of another’s will — sometimes benign, more often tyrannical and oppressive. That a country should elevate freedom as its primary doctrine was truly revolutionary in its time, and a step forward in the evolution of human society.
When we think of freedom, we usually think of it in terms of the conditions under which we live. I feel free when no one else can tell me what to do. I like being able to go to a store and make my own choices. I look forward to selecting what I want from a menu. I want to live where I want, do what I want, embark on my own “pursuit of happiness.”
That kind of freedom is what we might call “conditional.” It depends on external conditions lining up with my desire. I’ll be free when the government allows me to be free. When other people leave me alone. When I have the means to do what I want.
Certainly, it’s natural and right for people to want this kind of freedom. But experience tells us that conditional freedom is not enough. We can be physically free and have enough money to do most of what we want, and yet still be caught in the prison of our own punishing thoughts and feelings. We’re still concerned about things that no law can control, like whether other people like us. Others can envy our lives, and yet we can still feel trapped.
At the same time, we’ve all heard the real-life stories of individuals who found a different kind of freedom, even under the worst conditions. People who faced illness and captivity and public humiliation who emerged stronger than before, no longer dependent on the conditions we think are necessary to feel free. They came out knowing a different kind of freedom that is not dependent on anything outside of their own fulfilled being.
A Different Kind of Freedom
From the beginning of time, while human beings fought for physical freedom, the great sages were aware of a deeper sense of freedom that could flourish anywhere, under any conditions, providing an individual had done the required inner work. Here are some examples of what they said:
His thought is quiet, his words and deeds are quiet, when he has won freedom by true knowledge. — Buddhism (circa 500 B.C.E.)
Is freedom anything else than the power of living as we choose? Nothing else. Tell me then, you men, do you wish to live in error? We do not. No one who lives in error is free. Do you wish to live in fear? Do you wish to live in sorrow? Do you wish to live in tension? By no means. No one who is in a state of fear or sorrow or tension is free, but whoever is delivered from sorrows or fears or anxieties, he is at the same time also delivered from servitude. — Epictetus (55 – 135)
Liberty is not in any form of government. It is in the heart of free man; he carries it with him everywhere. — Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778)
I call that mind free which is not passively framed by outward circumstances, which is not swept away by the torrent of events, which is not the creature of accidental impulse, but which bends events to its own improvement, and acts from an inward spring, from immutable principles which it has deliberately espoused. — William Ellery Channing (1780 – 1842)
I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind. — Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 – 1944)
And here’s one more from OneJourney founder Guy Finley:
Remember this one idea, whatever the circumstances you must face, and the day will dawn when you will know the freedom for which you seek: Your struggle is with yourself, and yourself only. — Guy Finley (1949 – )
True Freedom Is an Inner Story
Here’s another quote from Guy that offers additional wisdom on the difference between conditional freedom and true inner freedom:
True freedom is within what I am, and not in what I have… and if I have not this freedom of being free in what I am… then any other sense of freedom is based in conditions apart from the Spirit of my soul and, as such, is my unseen captor only posing as my liberator. — Guy Finley
The message across the ages is that the external conditions in which we live may be difficult. Not only that, they are always changing, and as they do our sense of personal freedom may change drastically. But human beings are not only controlled by external circumstances. Within our consciousness is a higher awareness that is already connected to another level of being with unchangeable goodness and natural freedom from the vicissitudes of life.
With sincere inner work dedicated to self-discovery that higher level of being can become a more and more active force in our own lives. Then we can enjoy the freedoms we may be blessed to receive in life, but we are not dependent on them to make us feel secure and happy and always free to be our best selves. We have the ability to use everything to flourish and grow stronger within.
Two Gifts for You
To help you develop a deeper understanding of what inner freedom is all about, here are two writings by Guy. As you’ll see, they both have a special connection to Independence Day.
The first is an inspiring article entitled A Spiritual Declaration of Independence:
The second is an inner version of the Bill of Rights entitled Bill of Lights:
Please enjoy these articles and use their wisdom to find a kind of freedom that will never fail you.
Best Wishes,
Dr. Ellen Dickstein
The OneJourney Project
PS: You are invited to join Guy Finley’s FREE talks on these life-transforming ideas. All his talks are livestreamed and archived! For details visit guyfinley.org/peace
PPS: On Guy Finley’s Life of Learning website (www.guyfinley.org) you can find encouraging information and inner-life exercises that can help you discover new possibilities within you. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource.
