Issue #18, Jan.. 20th, 07

What is Freedom?

I talk about freedom quite a bit. I am always saying to someone if you want to be “free” you need to do such and such. It occurred to me the other day that perhaps it might serve a larger purpose if I defined “freedom.” So here goes: Freedom is the Experience of Life beyond Self-Enhancement. 99% of all of our thoughts and most of our effort in life serve one purpose – extinguishing the need for self concern. Of course the ego will never let go of that agenda as long as it is in the driver’s seat of our lives. And try as we might, it is very difficult for even the most self-aware to let go of that strangling agenda.

But let’s get back to freedom for a moment. If freedom means to live life beyond self-enhancement the natural question becomes, “how is self-enhancement slavery?” Ahhhh. Let’s look a little closer at the activities that make up self-enhancement.

I think I will list them first before I make a comment: Being right, being first, winning, getting more, proving our point, satisfying biological drives and addictions  - I guess I should just list the seven deadly sins. It becomes quite apparent that what motivates all of us is a desperate need to survive at everyone else’s expense. At some level even the nice people are looking out for number one. Don’t let that smile and all of the sweetness deceive you. And by the way, don’t be confused by some who are working hard ostensibly in the service of others. It is entirely possible that service can be driven by self-enhancement if getting safety or approval is the real goal.

What makes this all very convenient is that this allows us to ignore our arrogant, attacking, hostile, judging, and violent behavior as reasonable and completely justified by what is being done to us. We don’t have to take responsibility; we don’t have to know what it is like being in a relationship with someone like ourselves. This self-enhancement thing is very convenient. Ultimately it does boil down to one thing: every one else must die so you can live.

The slavery comes in when it is time to live differently, we can’t! Our lives are on autopilot to the extent that our agenda comes first, even if we would really like to put someone ahead of ourselves in the pecking order. We are helpless to let go of the agenda of “me.” As a psychotherapist, I can categorically state that I am not blowing this out of proportion.  On the other hand, society’s tolerance for what we think is actual hostility and self aggrandizement is out in left field. The truth is mind blowing. We have built a culture that lets us off the hook.

Let me give you an example. Let us say we are watching a news account of someone who kidnapped and abused a small child. As we watch our mind is filled with judging and retaliatory thoughts. These thoughts and reactions we feel are completely justified given the depravity of the crime. But let’s ask ourselves and be honest, where is the depravity? This is what Jesus was talking about when he said, “But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matt 5:28) So if we apply this principle to our watching the news, we find that we have assassinated the perpetrator. That is a bitter pill to swallow. The ego-mind is out of control and dangerously insane!

Freedom means that we have moved beyond our involvement in the drama of life. We have moved to a level of fulfillment that can only be had when we are unconcerned with self-preservation. How do we do this?

There is a monkey brain inside us all that not only wants to live, it wants to be God. The only way to move beyond this is to become the careful student of the internal assassin, judge, and do-gooder. This means that we must “hold in captivity every thought.” When the voice in our heads starts to talk, when we paint self-aggrandizing pictures in our brain, we must be there as the watcher. Only constant vigilance will subjugate the internal game show host.

When we learn to watch the activity of the mind, we become the real master and are no longer the slave. But more important for our discussion, we move outside of the ego-mind to an experience of life beyond the identified thinker –beyond self-preservation.

Freedom is that life, the authentic life, which exists beyond the agenda of self-concern and enhancement. Learn to watch the internal thinker and you will suddenly find yourself in that world of freedom. It is a world beyond time, beyond drama, filled with the Divine Essence for which we all yearn.

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