When we travel through adolescence and start to gain a greater sense of independence as we attempt to develop our identities, we seem to realize that we are completely autonomous individuals that are able to make decisions freely (we'll let the philosophers argue about this, but generally, this is the conclusion that the average person comes to so we'll go with that). At this immature stage of development, freedom may be defined as "the ability to do what I want, when I want it". And yes, this is indeed a valid definition. The typical adolescent feelings of rebellion arise when we see that there are a multitude of restrictions being placed upon us - by society, the government, etc. This infringes upon the adolescent's feelings of freedom, so the common response to this assault upon independence is exercise this freedom to a further extent - hence the rebellious activity.
The problem is, many people do not develop too much further than this. We may accept and abide by the limits that are imposed upon us by various laws and customs, but we still retain our immature idea of freedom. And there is nothing wrong with this. Certainly people who maintain this notion of independence can live fulfilling and happy lives, and many would likely say that the freedom to act when wants is nearly requisite to being happy - I'll admit that it definitely helps. However, for those interested in a deeper kind of freedom (liberation is another word for enlightenment, after all) this concept of freedom is not going to work, and here's why: it is entirely based on the egoic state of consciousness.
It is no coincidence that our concept of freedom seems to develop during our teenage years, when we are also in the process of developing our identities. In fact, it is this freedom that allows us to develop our identities in the way we do, though whether or not we are aware of all the factors influencing our choices is another story altogether. As we emerge from adolescence with an identity intact (this is the traditional view of lifespan development in psychology, though new thought is leading many to believe that this is a lifelong process - I tend to agree, though the point is still relevant regardless of when one maintains a certain identity), our ideas about freedom come with it; all of these ideas pertain to the person's individual identity. But as mentioned in previous posts, all of this is nothing but an elaborate story that we have told ourselves, the identity and idea of freedom included. There is truly no "I" to which freedom pertains.
This is one of the greatest deceptions of the ego: it leads us to think "I am free do what I want" (which includes "I am free to think what I want" by extension), yet what ends up happening is we actually become slave to our thoughts, and there is no freedom at all! Our thoughts, emotions, and this long, drawn-out "me-story" rules our lives. Our lives become dictated by what we do and don't want, what we think about things, how we feel - generally, people try to do what they think will make them happy. We become ruled by what many consider to be an instinctual aversion to pain and inclination towards happiness. However, anything that we try to acquire or any set of circumstances that we think is necessary for our happiness is ultimately transient, and we suffer when we lose them. In fact anything that exists in the mind - ideas about what is necessary for happiness, ideas about enlightenment, ideas about ourselves - is impermanent. If nothing that exists in the mind can bring us lasting happiness, why do we still chase after it?
We chase these fantasies of the mind because we are controlled by the egoic state of consciousness, which deludes us into believing we are in total control of our lives, and that all we have to do is act a certain way and achieve a certain state of circumstances and then everything will be okay. As long as you hold this to be true, you cannot be free. Freedom is when you are no longer slave to your thoughts and desires, heeding every beck and call of the ego. Freedom is when you can walk into any situation and feel no need to protect any identity or act a certain way. Freedom is not unnecessarily worrying about the past and future, and letting these worries wreak havoc with your emotions. Freedom is being able to act with love, kindness, and compassion in all situations. Freedom is having no fear, because you know that Who You Truly Are cannot be harmed.
It is important not to take the freedom I am alluding to and conceptualizing it, though to a certain extent this is inevitable. It may be tempting to take this idea and say "I'm free to act anyway I want, nothing I do matters because everything I do is transient, and regardless, it's all One anyway." This is often used as an excuse for unenlightened action, even though to a certain extent, this is true. The One will always be the One. However, in saying this, you are conceptualizing the One as well, and all of this conceptualization and believing comes from the same egoic state of consciousness you supposedly wish to awaken from. This time, it is making you a slave to the idea of meaninglessness. Again you have become the rebellious teenager, exercising his freedom in reckless ways simply because he can. Any true recognition of Oneness involves dropping these concepts, so all actions come from a place that does not need or want to manipulate the situation in a particular way. This is why "unenlightened" behavior always comes from the feeling of separation the egoic state of consciousness creates - true freedom lies in a complete surrender to the present moment, so there is no need to change it to fit your desires.
One of the biggest paradoxes - and there are many - of this whole "enlightenment" thing is that true freedom involves a total and complete surrender to the present moment. Only when we have rid ourselves of the desire to act freely can we truly act freely.
Just more evidence that God has a sense of humor. =]
Namaste,
Justin
Beautiful blog - in content and design.
ReplyDeleteNamaste
Alison