FREEDOM!
What is it? Does anyone have it? What would it be like to have it?
A few days ago I began to think about freedom. To be honest it was triggered by noticing that the word is frequently used by groups as a descriptor. For example:
The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ): A right-wing populist political party in Austria that emphasizes national sovereignty, economic freedom, and cultural identity.
The Freedom Conservative Party (FCP): A political party in Canada that advocates for individual freedom, free markets, and traditional values.
The Freedom Coalition: A group that supports the rights of individuals to make their own choices and live freely without undue government interference.
The Freedom Caucus: A group of conservative Republican members of the United States House of Representatives who advocate for limited government and individual freedom.
The Freedom Center: An organization that focuses on promoting religious freedom, free speech, and other civil liberties.
The Health Freedom Movement: Even has its own Wikipedia page.
There are thousands more freedom seeking organisations operating worldwide some of them huge, like: https://freedomhouse.org/
I poked about the internet and found an interesting article by Annelien de Dijn written in August 25, 2020 for Time Magazine. She explains her opinion that there have been two historically different ideas of political freedom but I am not so sure. My idea of freedom wasn’t there…..
Today,
published a short video of himself in his garden in which he said, (among other things) “I want to be free!” to which I replied:I have been trying to write a piece about freedom, Doc. Over the recent few days it has occurred to me that the word might mean very different things to each of us. So I began to really think about what freedom means to me, whether there have ever been any times in my life when I was actually free and was I happy then….
Oddly, I cannot identify a single moment when I was free!
I have never seen a day when I was free from responsibilities, duties, expectations, plans and needs. I am still ruminating on this knotty contemplation and will let you know if and when I sort out what freedom might actually be….. don’t hold your breath. I tend to think s-l-o-w-l-y!
When I think about freedom I am not focusing on political freedom at all. Nor am I concerned about the hidden hands of oligarchs. I am looking at a deeper level of personal freedom, one that doesn’t seem to fully fit with anything I have done, read or witnessed in my life time.
For every second of my existence I have been interconnected with every other existence in this universe. So what is freedom?
From the conception in my mother’s womb onwards there has never been a moment of isolation, independence or even separation from the myriad of living beings around and within me.
When I eat, I consume the precious flesh of living beings, whether they are animal, plant or aquatic. From the moment they are absorbed they become a part of me and my inner team of microbes. I represent them with whatever I choose to do with the energy they have given to me. Every movement I make in the physical realm contributes to the interchange of energy and elements. Even my breathing converts gases to sustain some vital part of this ecosystem.
When I use my mind, I create thoughts which bounce through the electro-magnetic radiance and cause effects beyond my physical being. Effects that I may never see with my own eyes. More so, if I write them down and send them out into the interconnectedness we call the internet.
When I still my body and my mind, I release my spirit to travel, experience and influence. Later, returning to me where those journeys are awkwardly described by my mind as dreams or flights of fantasy or imagination. My spirit always chooses to return with fresh wisdom or more questions seeking answers from this physical plane. Returning to this tired and creaky old body, trapped by its increasing limitations among billions of others who are also busy seeking answers.
All the while, there is no moment of freedom!
So what would freedom actually be?
Surely, it would be a quite unbearable eternal loneliness?
Maybe the origin of life was a divine impetus to become a myriad of things, as explained in great detail in the I Ching which discusses the concept of a myriad forms and transformations, reflecting the dynamic and ever-changing nature of the universe.
Lao Tzu tackled the concept of a “myriad things” or “myriad creatures” with his recurring theme in the Tao Te Ching. According to him, these myriad things arise from the Tao, which is the ultimate essence of existence.
The myriad of things are interconnected and continually changing.
Therefore, so are we and there can be no freedom from the process.
Perhaps we should not be seeking freedom, after all?
Perhaps we are here for the party!
ENJOY!
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"The concept of the "infinite chemistry of existence" is a philosophical and metaphysical idea that suggests that the universe is composed of an infinite number of complex interactions and relationships between particles, atoms, molecules, and other forms of matter and energy. This idea proposes that everything in existence is interconnected and interdependent, and that every action, event, or phenomenon has a ripple effect on the world around it.
In this context, chemistry refers not only to the scientific study of chemical reactions and compounds but also to the deeper, more fundamental principles that govern the behavior of matter and energy at all scales. The infinite chemistry of existence implies that there are no fixed or absolute boundaries between different levels of reality, such as between particles and waves, or between living organisms and their environments.
This concept can be seen as an extension of the idea of holism, which suggests that systems should be studied as wholes rather than being broken down into their component parts. The infinite chemistry of existence takes this idea further by proposing that every part of the universe is connected to every other part, and that every event or phenomenon has a unique chemical signature that reflects its place within the larger web of existence.
Some possible implications of this concept include:
1. **Non-locality**: The idea that particles or events can be instantaneously connected across vast distances, regardless of spatial separation.
2. **Interconnectedness**: The notion that every aspect of reality is intertwined with every other aspect, forming a complex web of relationships.
3. **Emergence**: The phenomenon where complex systems exhibit behaviors or properties that cannot be predicted from their individual components.
4. **Fractality**: The self-similar patterns found at different scales in nature, suggesting a deep connection between microcosm and macrocosm.
5. **Consciousness**: The possibility that consciousness or awareness is an inherent property of the universe, arising from the intricate dance between matter and energy.
While this concept may seem abstract or even mystical, it has been explored in various fields such as physics (e.g., quantum mechanics), biology (e.g., systems biology), philosophy (e.g., process philosophy), and spirituality (e.g., holistic spirituality). Ultimately, the infinite chemistry of existence invites us to reconsider our understanding of reality as a dynamic, ever-evolving tapestry where everything is intertwined."
~ Arbz extracted this very interesting explanation from an AI called Venice which can be accessed via this link: https://venice.ai/
I am totally free. They can lock me up, torture me and kill me. I will still be free.
Freedom is all in the mind. Maybe I have reached Nirvana.