Freedom

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. "
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

Another great week and a marvellous set of new lessons learnt. One concept that I have been developing is the idea of Blitz, derived from my experiences playing speed chess. Myself and my opponent (often thousands of miles away) each have five minutes to make all our moves in the game. Creativity and calculation are triggered at lightning speed and time seems to expand. Five minutes begins to feel like an hour. This same concept applied to work can lead to fairly spectacular results. Indeed, in those rare sessions when I have achieved Blitz mode while at work, I have felt a strange sense of peace - a sense of freedom.

This is how, in the face of overwhelming challenges and numerous tasks, one can still find space to move your life forward. The concept of space is related to the concept of freedom and the chess metaphor holds true here. If your position in chess is cramped, and you don't have much space, then you are not free. Space leads to freedom, and freedom tends to lead to creativity - in chess there are more possbilities for devastating combination in an open position.

More generally, freedom relates to much more than merely space and time. The quotation above relates to the inevitable consequence of freedom that many find less palatable - responsibility. We want to be treated as adults, free to make our life choices, but we also want to be cared for by the state or the company. We want to have the freedom of doing what we love, but we also want the security of regular income. It is only when we are truly ready to pick up the tab of responsibility that we can truly enjoy freedom.

Ultimately, freedom lies in the mind and the ability to choose your mental and emotional reaction (if not physical) to life's events. And, to this extent, one great freedom is the freedom of presence. The past and future, as useful in handling functional tasks as they may be, often shackle us in pyschological and emotional matters. Becoming present releases us from this mental prison and creates the space for our freedom...

"Patterning your life around other's opinions is nothing more than slavery. "
Lawana Blackwell, The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark, 1999


"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them. "
Mark Twain, Following the Equator (1897)US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)

"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. "
Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813 - 1855)