The Illusion of Freedom

Election day brings us thoughts of freedom, which we tend to connect to laws and rights. In the United States, we have much more political freedom than many other places, yet we still impose shackles on ourselves in our daily lives. Our real freedom lies within us and within our choices.

So often, we trap ourselves in the norms of society and living on the path of the masses...the path that has been shown to us by a restrictive government that doesn't really want us to be self-sufficient, because that would usurp its power to control our choices...the path that has been shown to us by marketing campaigns that make us believe we will be happy if we believe their message or buy their products...the path that has been shown to us by religions that are afraid to look beyond their own restrictions on God because they might lose their own hold on us.

Despite our ability to have freedom in our lives, so many of us have succumbed to the illusion of freedom as a substitute, and have come up empty-handed, have relinquished true freedom of self in exchange for these illusions that don't really satisfy us, because we know deep down that there is more.

So many people are now feeling the call for freedom, the call for more that is real in their lives. I think that has created this energy behind the elections, yet I believe it is also displaced. Our leaders and our government would never guide us to true freedom, because so many of the leaders, in order to succeed in the game, have sold out to the need to control our thoughts with their sound bites, the need to have us dependant upon them for our solutions. The only way we can have true freedom is to go within ourselves to find our own souls, our own purpose for being here right now. It takes more than a bumper sticker or a yard sign or an "I voted" sticker to change our lives or our outcomes. We need to get real in our lives and be willing to make necessary changes to find our purpose, and therefore our true freedom. It is an important time in humanity's course, and one in which we can change the world. I believe each of us has a role to play, and the important roles will not be from elected officials, the corporate marketers, or the religious heiarchy; rather, they will be played by ordinary individuals who choose to step out of the ordinary and dare to be extraordinary.

This message will strike a chord in some who read it, who will know deep inside that they have more to do in this life and that this is a call to do it. If you have that feeling, consider it a wake up call, follow it, and do your part to change the world by living a more real life - one that dares to acknowledge the power that lies within each of us as individuals. Dare to be your true and magnificent self. Dare to know that you have the power of God's creative force within you. This is your real freedom, and it is time to claim it.