Freedom To Be

  Picture of  Mourning Dove by Judith Hirst-Joyeux, July 2008

 

 

 

 

"Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice... No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out."—Thich Nhat Hanh

The funny thing about freedom is that it is a concept, something intangible. Yet we talk about it as though  it was a car or a particularly nice jacket.  We talk about how all people on this earth have the right to freedom; to be free from hunger, thirst, and oppression.  In democracies, the concept of freedom is reflected in phrases like "freedom of speech" and "freedom to demonstrate", and "freedom to bear arms or not".  What freedom really is, then, is the absence of constraints such as coercion or the power of another.

The quote by Thich Nhat Hanh talks about freedom in a different perspective from our normal political view.  He talks about the freedom to choose how you think and feel and react to everything in your life.  His point?  Regardless of how much others try to restrict you and try to control and command you, they are not able to take away your individual preferences and your freedom to believe in that which your Ancestors and others have also believed in.

There is philosophical discussion about how free the animals are.  Animals do not have the same politics and oppressions as people.  They do not have to work a "9 to 5" job and they are free to do as they wish.  Are the animals and birds really free?

The Dove in the picture above has the same basic issues that humans do - to find enough to eat, to have a safe place or home, and to be free of fear of some predator taking its life.  Yes, in North America, humans have things like Safeway.  Yet, in some areas of the world, humans hunt for food much the same as the Dove does. For Dove, feeding and finding water, especially when it is raising its young, is a full time job.  In fact, the humans, in some countries, would compete with Dove for certain seeds. 

Humans have always wanted a home that was theirs and that offered sanctuary.  In the United States recently, people are losing their homes and looking for safe roost in much the same way as Dove.  People lose their homes with little warning in warring countries. In areas where crime is rampant, humans may also fear for their lives and constantly be on the look out for danger.  Dove is very familiar with this mode of behaviour.  When Dove finds a safe place, it tends to frequent it.

So, do we have freedom of speech?  It seems difficult to determine!  We have so many rules about what one can say, what one can write, and what one can debate, that it seems more like regulated speech - which by a process of voting for government - we have all agreed to.  We have agreed to have our freedom curtailed.  Dove certainly has us beat out in that respect!  Dove can sing when ever, from where ever, and how ever it chooses, without regulation. But then Dove does not go looking for power or control over others, and has no wish to make decisions for others.  Dove even pushes the young out of the nest when they are ready to fly to encourage the hatchlings to find their own freedom.  Dove then is just able to "be". 

May you find freedom in your thoughts and dreams, and may they become your future.

Judith 

See www.angelsandancestors.com for "How To" articles.