On occasion, I have the good fortune of receiving random photo’s from one of my colleague’s at the University of Alberta. I am pretty sure he does not read my daily posts but his pictures are sure helping with the ideas so I hope they keep coming.
On the weekend he was strolling by a lake and noticed this seaweed floating by. What struck him was how it appeared totally free from restraint.
Can anyone be totally free?
This thought put me in a philosophical mood. Is anyone free, can we ever be truly free? Is even this seaweed blissfully floating on the lake without a care in the world, is it even free. There are the constraints of gravity, the whims of movement are controlled by external forces, wind, water etc.
I guess to build the discussion we need to consider the meaning of the word. My favorite description of freedom is ” exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc”
In that context is “total” freedom possible, I wonder, and not to be morbid, but in the context of that definition for humans maybe freedom is only truly achieved in death. Actually I think not, read on.
How about you are as free as you feel?
That being said though I am a true believer that we all control our own freedom. We are accountable and in control, in fact no one and nothing can exert control over my mind, my thinking – they are mine. I can be impacted by external actions (the wind and the water) and behaviors (other humans actions) but how I react, that is mine and mine alone.
I started to form this philosophy more strongly after reading Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl in which he uses his experiences in a German concentration camp (in the 1940’s) as a basis to explore Man’s search for Meaning.
Usual Disclaimer and Wrap Up
Believing we are totally in control (i.e., free) is an excellent philosophy to hold, however, I would be dishonest if I did not say that even believing I am completely and solely in control of myself, reality does intrude (oh darn)!
Today’s post is something to think about and possibly to aspire to (your choice). I would definitely postulate that owning your life and being personally accountable is better than not.