11 Powerful processes towards inner freedom

Published: 05 September 2013

With the current debate raging over the now notorious actions of Edward Snowden in leaking state secrets, there has been much talk over the value of freedom versus security. This week's newsletter looks at this important issue from a personal freedom perspective.

Introduction
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, is famously quoted as having said that "those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one". Not only do Franklin's words emphasise the value of freedom, they also beautifully illustrate the profound paradox that is human liberty.

In the strictest sense of the word, freedom can never truly be ours. Because we are social beings, our dependence on and attachment to one another is intrinsic and inevitable, and it is also somewhat paradoxical. We largely depend on one another to serve as opposing entities over which to dominate. In other words, we are 'hardwired' to seek to gain advantage over others. Nineteenth-century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche called this Man's 'will to power'.

Our instincts tell us that it is (s)he who has the most power over others who is most likely to survive and, like all animals, we prize survival above all else. This greater certainty of survival is the security to which Benjamin Franklin was referring, and it is fundamentally at odds with human freedom.

The master and the slave

Man's will to power is what causes what Nietzsche called 'slave-master relationships' to develop wherever there are several people sharing a space. After a few initial skirmishes, one or a few of these people will inevitably begin to dominate over and control the others, thereby inhibiting their individual freedom to a greater or lesser extent, turning them into slaves. But without a slave, there can be no master, and so we all end up as slaves to our dependence on one another.

This has only been exacerbated by human progress - the larger our societies grow, the more dependent the individual must necessarily become on the collective in order for both to function properly. Self-sufficiency and the freedom that comes with it are no longer tenable options. Such large populations require massive and complex activities, tasks that no one person could perform alone.

Physical versus inner freedom

So, what does this slave-master dynamic mean for Man's prospects of becoming free? Is true freedom possible? Absolutely.

It may seem paradoxical, but it is in realising that we are never really free on a physical level that we release ourselves to embrace the only essential freedom - inner freedom. While our external circumstances are often beyond our control, our reactions to and feelings about these circumstances are always entirely our own. We can rest peacefully in this knowledge and begin to take ownership of our choices. Realising that we are being oppressed allows us to become conscious of the possibility that we have options.

There is more potential in us than we can imagine. To become free we have to stop looking outside and start looking inside. If we change how we view the world, we can become truly free of the external world and our inner worlds become strong. With strong inner worlds, we can start shaping the outer world more effectively.

The (not-so) long walk to inner freedom

By now, it should be clear that inner freedom is already within each of us. All we need do is tap into it. Here are a few things to keep in mind if personal liberty is truly important to you:

1) Keep moving forward
To be free, we have to let go of the past, move into the future and take ownership of the present. This does not mean that we have to hop around from job to job or from situation to situation, but we do have to keep moving forward in our emotional, spiritual, physical and mental lives. Personal growth is indispensable to escaping the shackles of mental slavery.

2) Defeat your demons and discover your angels
Inside each of us, there are fears and hopes and these are what drive us. Our fears are what hold us back from achieving our true potential; our hopes are what remind us that no one can touch our dreams. To be fearful takes so much energy. By just taking a moment to confront our fears we will discover a world in which we are in control. If something is bothering us, we should go there, investigate it and give it a name so that we may overcome it.

Defeating our fears allows our hopes to emerge more clearly. When we realise that what we hope for may actually be within our grasp, we can stop hoping and start doing. We should not allow our ambitions to lie dormant for too long - we are always free to pursue our dreams.

3) Find your inner creator
During his time in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau, Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, Dr Viktor Frankl discovered that the campmates who handled their oppression best were those who were able to escape into their inner worlds. Many of these individuals used creative activity to achieve this. Similary, bestselling author and motivational speaker, Eckhart Tolle has noted that many people achieve awakened presence through art.

In each of us, there exists a creator who wants to make or do things to express our thoughts and feelings. Whether it be through music, writing, photography, gardening or any other creative act - to create is to be free.

But creativity is an act, not an idea. You may, for example, have the potential to be a phenomenal poet, but if you never actually put pen to paper, you will never be a poet.

Creativity begins in the mind and finds fruition in the world. Tolle calls this creating a 'new heaven' internally that you may project outward to create a 'new earth' for you to live in. Take it forward and make something that has never existed before - even if it is only for yourself.

4) Excellence beats the systems
As already discussed, the red tape of bureaucracy is the enemy of freedom. But a certain measure of bureaucracy is necessary for society to function. When we remember that we are able to make bureaucracy work for us, we can turn it into a tool to ensure and maintain our essential human freedom.

5) Listen to yourself - and be yourself
World-renowned motivational speaker Dr John Demartini will tell you that, inside of each of us, there is a genius. Listen to this genius. Alongside this genius, however, is also a self-critic. Do not shy away from this either. You need to understand both your potential and your limitations - the areas where there is room for improvement. Deal with your pain, your fear, your hang-ups and your inadequacies. You are so much more than you think you are.

6) Let the weight go
Think of a time when you were carefree and had no worries in the world. Compare that with where you are now and identify what is different. Let go of the feelings that make you feel heavy - do this by acknowledging them, changing what you can and accepting what you can't. To be free is to be light enough to only carry with you that which contributes to your personal growth.

7) Connect unconnected things
Take five apparently unrelated things and try to identify a common thread between them. The connection may elude you at first, but you will find it eventually. All things are connected, just as you are an integral part of the Universe. Feeling this sense of belonging will remind you of the untouchable essence that you are.

8) Decide if you are being repelled or attracted
Once you realise that you are not free on some level, you will be able to see that something is either pulling you away from where you want to be or pushing you in a direction that you don't want to go. Once you know which of these is holding you back, you will be in a far better position to do something about it.

9) Live incrementally, but grow exponentially
Do not put pressure on yourself to make changes that you are not ready to make yet. Identify what needs to be done and then allow the calm certainty to wash over you that you will eventually find a way around your obstacles.

10) Be all that you can be
At some point in life, we all realise that we are going to die one day. All of a sudden, we find ourselves doing more, being more and living more. As the old adage goes, you can take nothing with you into the next life. What matters most is what you leave behind. Ask yourself what you want your legacy to be and start living that legacy today - for you might not get tomorrow. This does not mean that you must now stop planning and getting things done. Indeed, to be really free you need to be mindful that everything that is important needs to be done today, now, and in this moment.

11) Release your subjects
To some extent, we all believe that we are the kings and queens of the universe and that other people are our subjects - mere means to our own superior ends. Identify this assumption whenever it arises in you and let it go as quickly as possible. Work with others instead of against them and you will be amazed at what you can achieve.

Conclusion - the freedom of embracing your dependence
Contradictory as it may seem, the final step in obtaining true inner freedom is to realise that our dependence on others can actually be a good thing. You are part of an intricate and ever-unfolding universe. When you cut yourself off from that, you enslave yourself within the terrible trap of solitary existence. See other people as part of you and you as part of them, and there will be little that can stand in the way of you living a happy and fulfilled life full of gratitude and joy.
- regenesys

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