Our latest video featuring R3 Street Dance took on the topic of “Freedom”.

As per the title of the video, I have asked people what it means to be a Free Human Being both in person and online. The answers were varied, but they followed a few common perspectives.

 

 

FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

Some have said Freedom is the ability to do as one pleases: to travel abroad, to get the job we like, to drive fast cars, to marry whomever, to be able to fly, to see new places … to not be limited. To do whatever they want. No physical restrictions. The freest person must be someone Free from any physical constriction and have full governance of one's own actions.

So, some think that where there is choice, there is freedom.

 

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

Some have said Freedom is mental, that it is a state of the mind. Getting rid of mentalities which conventionally stop one from acting according to one's own needs and desires is being Free. We think that a mind which is totally open to all possibilities is set Free; one which does not hold itself back and neither lets others limit what they think they can achieve. The freest person then becomes one who expresses themselves as they come. They are Free to act as they wish, not bound by others' rules or expectations. They are Free from any psychological barriers.  

Some think that freedom is the elimination or inexistence of fears and insecurities.

 

Like these two views, the current dictionary definition of “Free” implies

“Freedom from …” in our modern language use.

 

FREE

/friː/

adjective

1.

able to act or be done as one wishes; not under the control of another.

2.

not or no longer confined or imprisoned.

From the Oxford Dictionary

 

 

INTRINSIC FREEDOM 

What do I think? I believe people are born Free. You have heard this statement before. It is the original ideology that forms the basis of Modern Western Civilization. The Universal Constitution of Human Rights declares in its immediate first article,

“All Humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” 

As the owner of an ethical, Pro-Human Rights company, this is perhaps not so surprising.

Everyone possesses the quality of being Free before all else as part of their natural state. In knowing that, one does not “achieve” Freedom. One has always had it, just as one always has the ability to eat, breathe, and talk. It is part of human nature to be Free.

Unless one foregoes their own dignity, even in physical confinement or restriction, they will always have Freedom. Freedom cannot ever be truly taken away, only forfeited, or cast aside due to fear.

I look at Freedom as in “Freedom for …” Power to do and be.

We will come to this distinction later.

 

LACK OF FREE WILL

On the contrary, some have also said there cannot be such a thing as Freedom. To be Free one must have Free Will. Free will being; to act in accordance with ones own desires. But what about our desires in the first place that govern the actions?

As Arthur Schopenhauer famously says: “Man can do what he will, but cannot will what he wills.”

This is exceptionally thought provoking. Einstein himself refers to this quote by Schopenhauer in his personal Credo and in his essay “My View of the World“ (1931), stating the recognition of a lack of Free Will and Hard Determinism has reconciled him with the actions of others and from losing his temper throughout his life.

We can want our desires to be fulfilled, and choose to fulfil them, but we cannot choose our desires which makes us act in the first place. After all, we do not choose what we want. We do not choose our “masters”, master being our core desires which we shape our lives around. Everyone is a slave to their core desires, we do their bidding. So where do our desires come from? They come from us, of course. But then what is “us/I”?

I is called the “ego” as you might recognize from the Greek word εγώ –literally meaning “me, I” in formal Psychology. Ego is a conscious and subconscious product of the mind. It is formed by our character, which is shaped by our genetics, and our environment - which we can refer to as our Culture. We do not choose either of those things.

Animals are not free to act outside of primitive behaviours because they are ruled entirely by their survival mechanisms. We dictate that they are not Free because of this. They have no capacity for Reason. They are completely ruled over by the needs for safety, hunger, thirst, lust, need to rest... Unlike animals most people are slaves to their emotions also. They react in primitive ways, irrational and only guided by emotion, and thus they commonly display animalistic behaviour.

Those who choose their responses rationally surely are Freer because of Reason. This is why it is called “self-control” after all. To have control over oneself instead of something else is the definition of Free Will. This is the core tenant of many ancient Philosophies, like Ancient Greek and Roman Stoicism. Something happens in the world, to us, and a response is crafted from knowledge, experience, and good values.

But we do not choose those. We do not choose our basic knowledge, experiences or values.

Our decision-making protocols come from our values, and it’s clear that we do not choose them. Our information and experiences come from where we are born which shapes our worldview. We only have access to one original, self-centred perspective in life that is severely limited by the senses. Our beliefs and personalities solidify as the brain completes development by the time adulthood arrives. Nearly every person will follow the same set of principles they were taught during childhood. We follow and embrace the identity we are given by others and the roles that come with it. That remains our mould until we die. Maybe a call for change happens in the form of trauma and one must reconcile with a new reality, but most fail in that as well and never resolve their deep-seated issues because of it. Mostly all people pass away with the same flaws and idiosyncrasies they’ve always had throughout their lives. They are content to live with rationalisations and cognitive dissonances when faced with a new reality outside of their narrow views. Everyone follows their programming.

What is the logical conclusion to all this line of reasoning?

It is logical to conclude Freedom and Free Will is an illusion of the mind.

That people do not choose to be the way they are. Therefore they do not choose how they act.

 

Jiddu Krishnamurti

This brings me to the philosopher featured in the video, Jiddu Krishnamurti. J. Krishnamurti was an important 20th-century Philosopher. He went on to inspire many great writers, thinkers, artists and important figures, such as Alan Watts, Bruce Lee, The Dalai Lama, Aldous Huxley, Jackson Pollock, and David Joseph Bohm and more have attributed to his teachings.

 

 

He emphasized the importance of self-awareness and self-inquiry in achieving true freedom. He distinguishes Freedom into two forms: “Freedom from” and “Freedom For”. Freedom From is what we tend to use in our language. It implies a form of aversion. Freedom For on the other hand is purposeful and proactive. It is not merely breaking away from confinements, it is a state of well-being that is in harmony and unity. “Freedom for” is reaching a powerful state, without conflict or division.

In doing so life becomes more enjoyable. Purposeful. Dignified and less full of fear.

 

FREEDOM REQUIRES INTELLIGENCE

Krishnamurti’s emphasis on individual Freedom goes beyond the mere physical or societal constraints. He examines the intricate web of thought patterns and beliefs people have which keep their minds safe in stasis. He critiques ideology and religion endlessly which he says fragmented humanity.

In one of his many orations on the topic of Freedom he boldly states:

“Freedom Comes with Intelligence. Being aware of the influences which seek to control you. In other words, becoming conscious.

But what is intelligence? Can there be intelligence when there is fear, or when the mind is conditioned? When your mind is prejudiced, or when you think you are a marvellous human being, or when you are very ambitious and want to climb the ladder of success, can there be intelligence? When you hold prejudices, you will only look to agree with what you already believe and dismiss anything to the contrary, get defensive and rationalise endlessly. When you are concerned about yourself, when you follow or worship somebody, can there be intelligence? Surely, intelligence comes when you understand and break away from all this stupidity. So, you have to set about it, and the first thing is to be aware that your mind is not Free. You must observe how your mind is bound by all these things, and then there is the beginning of intelligence, which brings freedom.

Intelligence demands doubting, questioning. Intelligence demands that there be impersonal observation. “

As his most famous quote states:

“The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”

Most understand from early childhood that the world could be a beautiful place to live if people came together, worked together, stopped fighting and united. There is enough to go around in the World. But as we grow up, we see this as a naïve dream. We accept “this is the way of the world; this is how things are.” Which removes all agency from us, shifts the blame and ultimately this gives us permission to not care about one another and the World. Then we collectively suffer the consequences, and then we learn. With the advent of technology someday the punishment will be too hard, and we will perhaps not walk away from it. A nuclear conflict, WWIII, late-stage climate change catastrophes or a much more aggressive pandemic would easily wipe us all out.

“Society is based on ambition and conflict, and almost everyone accepts this fact as inevitable.”

In our realisation that the world is a selfish place, we also cling to our perceived immediate benefit. In realising that most people are simply followers, we become followers ourselves. But how can a follower be Free? A follower is told what to do and what to think by another.

 

 

Unique from animals, we have many psychological needs. Most people, in fact, live to serve their psychological needs instead of their physical, and this often gets in the way of their own and others' well-being. Almost all conflict is a display of this insecurity. Human behaviour stemming from these insecurities does not allow for peace to happen.

 

A final, excerpt taken from one of his talks in Brookwood Park:

Q - “What should one do if they are Free?

J - Revolt against it.

Not in the sense of becoming a communist or an anarchist. That would be falling into another form of conditioning, another ideology, another tribe. Psychologically revolt against what you deem bad in the world.

You have the Freedom. Freedom to do what? Freedom not to follow. Therefore, Freedom from authority, Freedom from belief and Freedom from fear.

You must be a light to yourself. You must stand alone. You cannot join any groups in society and be Free. Muslim. Jew. American. Indian. Communist. Western. Doesn’t matter. When you separate yourself by belief, nationality, or tradition, it breeds violence. So, one who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, religion, or political party, or any institution, but is concerned with the total understanding of mankind. Being a light to yourself means being a light to all of humanity. Not a corner of humanity."

 

I would urge you to look into Krishnamurti Foundation which exists to preserve and make available Krishnamurti’s works. 

www.kfoundation.org