On Bondage and Freedom

Loose. Bound. Unencumbered. Shackled. Freedom. Slavery. As you likely consider yourself to be a free person, are there any understandings of the notion of freedom by which you may be considered a slave? Are you completely free? I submit to you that surely, while you may experience freedoms in a variety of ways, you are actually bound…which is to say that you are “in bondage,” partly by choice and partly by ignorance and partly by simple circumstance. Fear not though, being encumbered in some way or other is quite ordinary, not at all something to consider peculiar. So while freedom, generally speaking, is a good and desirable thing, it is probably impossible to be truly and completely “free.”

On the one hand, there are a number of very common realities regarding dependence which simply prevent complete freedom…monthly rent or mortgage payments, other debts, household utilities, government taxes and services, employment, licensing for professionals or general business owners, parental and marital obligations, faith-based and other charitable or social organizations, etc. Some of the things to which you are bound in this sense are voluntary and some are involuntary, but regardless of whether you consciously thought, “I will bind myself to x, y, or z,” you are indeed bound. Your freedom to some extent or other is hindered.

On the other hand, the bonds which encumber us and/or the freedoms we experience may be less tangible and more mental. You tend to imagine that you are free to believe whatever you want regarding the origin and purpose of humanity or the existence and character of God. You think you are free to love the people of your choosing, or all people, etc. You have little reason to doubt your ability to choose how much and what sorts of things to hope for. But here is an interesting series of simple comments that I picked up very recently…”A free mind is necessary for belief. A free mind is necessary for love. A free mind is necessary for hope.”

The point and context of these brief statements was that we allow various mental obstacles to encumber our minds from the fullest experiences of believing, loving, and hoping. Examples of such obstacles would be jealousy, envy, anger, bitterness, discontentment, regret, and shame. Like the more tangible shackles mentioned earlier, some mental encumbrances are voluntary and some are involuntary. Some may be beyond your present notice, while others you have noticed, though for a variety of reasons, you don’t have a particular interest in putting the issue(s) away immediately. In any case, themes of bondage and freedom are at play here.

Its interesting to me that these notions seem to make sense without regard for your particular worldview…religious, secular, unsure, disinterested, etc. The point is to ask yourself how and why you are in bondage, and whether or not those issues significantly hinder your ability to live the life you are desiring to live.