Freedom : Part 1

 

Freedom:

 When you look up the definition of freedom this is what comes up:

the state of not being held prisoner or controlled by somebody else.

the right or ability to do or say what you want.

the state of not being affected by something unpleasant.

the right to use something with nothing to limit you.

As I pondered today over some personal shortcomings or tendencies I would like to overcome I saw freedom in a different light. 

Yes, to be able to disallow someone else to control you is one aspect of freedom. But that is the easier part.

Equally important is the ability to disallow your own lower instincts to manifest or overpower your nobler instincts. And this is by far more difficult. 

To cite an example, I often see myself in an internal conflict situation when there is a discussion with a close relative or friend about another common acquaintance who has wronged one or more people on a few occasions. This phenomenon in common language is called gossip. A slightly more respectable term for it is venting. Often our guard is off during such sessions. The nobler part within says it is ok to allow the person in front of you to vent their bad experiences, but you are not obligated to share yours and add to the fire. The lower instinct is eager to vomit its own story on the table. 

In this context one can interpret freedom from two angles. To open your mouth and rattle off your untoward experience can be affirmed as freedom of speech. To exercise self control and resist talking negative about someone behind their back, even though what you would say is the truth, is also an expression of freedom. The freedom of taking the higher road when another path was available is often not recognized and therefore not exercised. And yet it is like exercising any muscle. The more you exercise it, stronger it gets. The less you use, it gets atrophied. 

Recently I read a very interesting concept while reading Parbhanikar Maharaj’s book on the Dnyaaneshwari. Human beings have a choice in matters of their actions. God does not have that choice. HE must confer upon us the results of our actions. What is this referring to? Our freedom to choose our destiny. Freedom however can be exercised in only the present moment while destiny manifests at a future date. Once the present moment is lost we cannot choose the results that will follow.

Therefore insight is important. Insight brings wisdom to recognize the choices before us. Exercising our decision-making rights based on that wisdom will write our destiny. 

I made a mention of Ga Di Madgulkar’s song from Geet Ramayan in my recent post about Grief. 

Daivajaat dukkhe bharata dosh na kunaachaa 

Paraadheen ahe jagati putra maanavaachaa 

It translates as:

All living beings created by God must endure sorrows and suffering. No one is to be blamed for this except our own past deeds. All humans are bound by karma. 

Here the term paradheen implies being controlled by a force outside us. Yet what is that force? It is our past karma. Hence there is neither God nor another person we can blame for the troubles in our lives. It is our bad choices that come to haunt us. We have rather poor memory of our deeds, especially bad deeds. So we question when bad things happen to us. 

The lesson here is to wake up, remain fully aware of our options in thoughts/ speech/actions, and exercise the freedom that exists in the moment. Then leave it there. Move to the next moment without regrets or pomp. 

Looking back I can see I did a rather marvelous job of not allowing anyone to control me. But I can’t say the same about making perfect choices controlling my instincts. It is never late to exercise some weak muscles. 

One observation from my own experience is that when there is initial “atrophy” of these muscles, in other words when certain instincts are too powerful due to previous conditioning, it becomes nearly impossible to change course despite your newfound awakening and sincere wish to do it differently. At such times it is best to not take it too badly. You may have to yield and try next time. Things are bound to change gradually. Only the person can know if their effort was sincere. This freedom is a whole new ballgame and it must be earned and learned the hard way.