Why You Will Never Be Free
And what to do about it
Humans have always been labelled as free, rational individuals that make independent choices. We all want to be free and in control of our lives, and this desire is reflected across all of society by the manner in which we uphold independence as a state everyone should strive for. We all want to be able to stand on your own two feet, we are told to try to survive on minimal help from other people, we all want to be labelled as self-made, and we’re under serious pressure to do this because this is the age of no excuses; accessing information is easy, you can learn any skill if you have an internet connection, everything you need is within your grasp, you can create yourself and turn yourself into anything if you really try. However, like everything else, these sentiments are true only in certain contexts, outside which they all crumble.
The absolute truth is that none of us will ever have complete freedom, none of us will ever be self-made island-fortresses. The very nature of existence is dependence; the universe is an interconnected web where the existence of one object is determined and sustained by the existence of other objects. Similarly, our strength as a species lies in our numbers and our ability to successfully communicate with each other, our society runs on division of labor and our bodies depend on a variety of factors being in place to even exist.
Most of that is obvious, but what is less conspicuous is how much of our mental functions do not belong to us, how easily influenceable and programmable we are, and how the vast majority of our decisions are made by external influences. Our dependence runs deep, we are not as autonomous as we think, we are slaves — beings of no significance, subject to the whims of an indifferent universe. Still, we are not entirely defenseless, history and human progress have shown that much. We may be slaves, but we still have our spheres of influence; we are slaves who can decide what masters we will subject ourselves to. Our single most valuable ability as individuals, lies in this ability; if choice dies, all progress goes with it.
There are many masters in the world, they exist on different levels, and in different contexts. A master on a particular level or in a particular context might be a slave in another, but we won’t go into detail on that.
Some masters — like death and time — are way beyond our reach, we are their eternal slaves whether we like it or not; they aren’t our concern. The ones we should care about are the ones we can chose to accept or reject, and we make this choice based on how “they” “treat” us. Masters like self-awareness, self-honesty, discipline, open mindedness, empathy, courage and so on give strength and help us transcend. Others — like fear, greed, bigotry, self-pity, indiscipline, money, achievement and so on — wrap chains around our neck and wither us into oblivion.
These masters are present in our everyday lives, they appear in different forms and present themselves via different channels. Sometimes we see them for what they are (doing a kind deed for an undeserving person), other times they are perfectly hidden, camouflaged as their direct opposites (choosing money over values, choosing temporary pleasure over long term progress).
We won’t always choose wisely, a lot of times we won’t even know we’re making a choice, and even when we do, we might not have any idea what we’re actually choosing. It’s a mess, the best we can do is recognize that there are always options and learn how to see them. Sometimes, there’ll be multitudes, sometimes there’ll be very few, but we will always have options, and though none of them fit your ideal, there will always be one to help you take the next step towards a better future, and that’s all you need.
Observing choices can be very difficult though; we have short attention spans, and tons of mental barriers that prevent us from seeing what is sometimes under our noses, and sometimes, the situation limits our ability to have a good look at available options. However, there are things we can practice to help increase our attention spans and fields of view. We can learn to slow down time, and stave off urgency just enough to not let any situation overcome us. Sadly, I know only two; they are the things that have worked for me, and helped me keep a cool head, see my options, and observe myself making choices. They are:
1. Meditation and practicing mindfulness
2. Reading
Meditation has helped me learn to observe in real time what’s happening in the mad house that is my psyche. Reading opens my eyes to the fact that the world is much bigger than my perception, it expands my consciousness, shows me that there are many more options that is obvious, options I’d have never seen on my own. Different things work for different people, but those are the things that have worked for me and helped me pick better masters.
What works for you may be different, but the point I want you to get from this article is that you’re never going to be completely free, you’re always going to be a slave to something; what this thing is depends entirely on you. Some masters are worse than others, some masters expand your being, others cause you to shrivel. Choose what makes you grow, what will make your soul bloom, and help you live a life that energizes you. Peace.
