Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Freedom


Freedom

So elusive, so sought after.

A friend taught me about freedom. He says that he retired when he was 23. Meaning, he has been doing what people have been saving for after retirement his whole life – doing things as and when he likes and enjoying his life to the max. Do what he loves to do while traveling all over the world – at the same time.

A housewife’s route to freedom might be taking up a new job, finally earning her first paycheck and having her own pocket money to do as she please without feeling at all guilty.

Many people’s definition of freedom is quitting their job and traveling the world for a whole year straight, just because they can.

While another friend wants to buy another apartment so that she can have her own space to do whatever she wants without her family’s scrutinizing her every move.

I think freedom is in the mind.

Two people can be married, staying under the same roof and share meals together can feel like both have all the freedom in the world, while another couple could feel contrived and trapped.

A person’s sense of freedom can just be destroyed if he feels like he has no choice in the matter.

I often hear a mother say to a loitering teenager, “You are too free, go find something productive to do!”

If choice equals freedom, would it be possible to have too much freedom? Too much freedom, too many choices? What is too much too many?

When you say you want to be free, what does that mean?

If you have a choice, how would your life look like?

I am working towards my freedom. How does it look like? Mine is not like my friend’s but close. I would like to do what I like to do, when I like to do it and enjoying my life to the max. That is as far as the similarities go. My freedom doesn’t look like my friend’s in the logistics; however his journey to freedom inspires mine.