Freedom

But who decides this? No one gives us freedom. And therefore, no one can take it away. It simply is. There can be no conditions for freedom. It is unconditional by its very nature.

Why, then, do we so often feel unfree? Because we—consciously or unconsciously—exercise our freedom to create the illusion of its absence. The sense of limitation, compulsion, impossibility, and dependency—these are all component parts of the game of “unfreedom” we create.

What is this game for? To create a context within which we can experience liberation. The experience of liberation, just like freedom itself, would be impossible without the illusion of limitation. Yet, this illusion is so strong that one can spend years, decades—and in the case of societies and nations, even centuries—fighting for freedom.

But as long as the struggle continues, so does the lack of freedom. Because within the consciousness of struggle, there is always an opponent, an opposing side to fight against. In other words, the very act of fighting for freedom generates the sensation of bondage. And the fiercer the struggle, the stronger the adversary. The less freedom there is in such a person’s consciousness.

The way out of this vicious circle is possible only by realizing freedom as something that requires no struggle. As something that requires nothing at all. For it needs no conditions; like life itself, it simply is.

Realizing that freedom and life simply are—that being simply is—opens the possibility for us to be as well. To be what? Whatever we choose to be!

Thus, the becoming of freedom can be described by three archetypal images:

The Sleeper: Sees neither freedom nor the lack of it; simply lives within a script, automatically. The problem of freedom does not exist for such a person.

The Fighter: Realizes the problem of freedom. Sees limitations and resists what he sees in order to achieve freedom as he understands it. Through the fight for freedom, he creates his own bondage, yet thinks he is making progress.

The Creator: Realizes freedom as an unconditional given. Sees that he created the limitations himself. Realizes himself as the creator, stops fighting, and begins to create freely, in the space of pure potential.

Consciousness continuously drifts between these levels, following our will. The will of the Sleeper is automatic and mechanical, obeying the laws of nature. At this stage, evolution occurs slowly; lived experience is not consciously realized. The will of the Fighter contains a higher level of self-awareness and surpasses mechanical evolution in speed by an order of magnitude, since at this stage, the experience gained begins to be comprehended. The will of the Creator accelerates evolution by 10 orders of magnitude, for here, lived experience is not merely comprehended, but chosen and created consciously. To consciously create one’s experience is the domain of the awake.

May the intention to be awake always be present in our lives.