the Smile of Freedom

 

Everyone talks about freedom. People all over the world continue to fight and die for it. What is it about freedom that makes it that important? In America we speak of living in a free country. But are we really free to do and say what we want? True freedom has nothing to do with political policy. Freedom is something that can only be found in the human spirit.

Who prevents us from being free? We can say it is the government, or we can blame our parents, or religion, or God. But in truth, we are never victims. No one anywhere is a victim. We make the choice not to be free. Some who marry say they give up their freedom to do so, yet when they divorce they are still not free. What is it then? What is holding us back from being free?

Do you remember when you were free? You were a child - maybe two or three years old, maybe four. Children are free people. They are free because they do whatever they want. They are still wild, like a flower, a monkey, or an oak tree that have not been domesticated. Most of the time a two-year-old has a smile on its face because it is enjoying itself. They are busy exploring the world and not afraid to play. Sure, they may be unhappy and cry when they are hungry or get hurt or have some unsatisfied need, but by and large they don't worry about the past and could care less about the future. They are absorbed in the moment, completely. They are free.

A free person is not afraid to say what he or she thinks, like little children. Free people are not afraid of love, like little children. And free people never see themselves as victims. There is a free person within each of us because the child within never completely goes away. You catch of glimpse of your inner child when you play or are having fun, when you are creatively engaged in writing or painting or playing music or expressing yourself. When the real you pops to the surface the past and future disappear.

Live your life the way you want to. Do it to please yourself. Quit trying to please everybody else. No "buts". Be a child. Be wild. Don't be domesticated. Explore the world and smile, and don't worry about it all, especially the past and the future. That is freedom. Isn't that what you want. Do it. Do it NOW.