Freedom and the Karma factor

Life is about freedom.

There is not a slightest trace of doubt in my mind that every healthy and conscious human being on this planet would consider hers or his freedom as a essential value of life worth living. We all strive for freedom. We all want to be free.

But, it is the sad fact that we are not.

To be sure, I am not talking about freedom of moving around unrestrictedly, wherever our legs, wheels or sails takes us. I am not talking about freedom of thinking, speaking or believing, either. Nor am I talking about all kinds of superficial desire-come-true ideas of freedom, as they are, I am sure, present in those sweet daydreaming moments we all enjoy so much.

Well, to correct myself briefly, in a way, that is partially what I do have in mind when I set myself up for writing about freedom. Because, sadly again, majority of us are not free that way, either. Oh, how much we do need that basic manifestation of freedom! We bleed to often for being different; we suffer greatly for having our own ideas; we are abjected, expelled, tortured and killed, for even trying to live our lives freely.

Don’t misunderstand me, please. I will write, shout, sing, dance, pray, demonstrate… I will even gladly go on barricades with you, if necessary, to protect the basic human (and non-human equally) rights for freedom as understood in this restless society of ours.

However, this is just not my thing; not my real topic. It could be discussed, however, and it will be discussed throughout this book, how the real Freedom (let’s put the capital F on freedom, just for the moment, before I explain myself fully) influences all this human endeavors for fulfilling every days needs and desires.

So, what it is I am trying to talk about? What kind of “freedom”?

If I say it is “freedom of the mind” it will be a cliche. And, worst than that, the average reader will probably misunderstand me immediately, even before I started to lay out my case. Possible differences in comprehension may include the ideas like “having an open mind”, accepting differences, tolerance, empathy, creativity or even plain curiosity.

All right, freedom is all of that; it includes all personal traits which makes our lives interesting and… human. So, while dealing with real freedom, you can count on enjoying all this positive sprouts of the freedom aspiring mind, which will make your life fuller, richer and on all counts and in any measure, worth living. However, note that this does not include adjectives like happier or easier. Those fruits are not necessary growing on the tree of freedom. They might grow, though, so it is all right to have high hopes.

Unwillingly, I have stumbled quite fast on the freedom searching controversy. It is my intention to reveal it to you fully, in all its confusing glory, as the book advances. But, here it is, in plain sight, at the very beginning of the search. You want freedom, or at least, you say so. And you think so, right? You certainly think that freedom is your goal, that you deserve it and that it is your right, by human birth, to have it, no matter if it is a social freedom or some more elusive inner stuff.

But, are you fully aware what freedom will bring to you? Are you aware of full spectrum of consequences of living freely?

I propose that you are not. Don’t hate me for that, and please, don’t be offended. It is a matter of human condition to have difficulties with understanding the full meaning of freedom. And you are human, as am I, so we are facing together one tremendously mysterious puzzle.

We want freedom so badly. Some of us are ready to die for it (I was, as one; and I did, in a matter of speaking). But, we don’t know what it is, actually, and how it will affect and change our lives. And, change us it will! In all kinds of unimaginable ways you have every right to look forward to, but also, if you are wise at least a bit, to be, in the same time, afraid of.

I will explain all of that latter, and I hope you will see very clearly why I made such an introduction. Search for a freedom is one of the most dangerous, but in the same time the most true and absolutely unavoidable adventures of every human being. If we are not going in that direction, we may as well be dead. Physically, we may be living, but in every other meaning of the word – psychologically, spiritually, humanly – we are just corpses.

Strong words, I know, but I am not hesitating to use them. I have more of them in store, this is just a beginning. If you are not able to take them as a realistic description of a situation of non-freedom-striving person, you will probably have great difficulties to understand the rest of this book. So, better be clear on that in this early stage of your-thoughts-meeting-my-thoughts process on the pages to come.

Freedom I am intended to write about, is deep, absolute, unconditional and uncausal freedom embedded in our own consciousness. It is a basic ingredient of our existence, and thus, it is not something we have to achieve, or create, but more likely something we have to remember and re-create; manifest and practice, as we go along where the life takes us.”

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