Still mulling over freedom, and I guess it's OK to do that being American (!) We are still one of the freest countries in the world, and I am immensely grateful that this, plus coming of age in the late 20th century, provided me with opportunities to at least try to self-actualize and travel. I made some unusual choices, and wasn't directly forced into a specific ill-fitting mold.
And yet I can't help but find it interesting that our whole system is predicated on huge blocs of free or low-paid labor, not to mention Mother Earth being left completely "unpaid" for all her natural resources. This seems like "freedom" turned on its head. Young people are propelled into higher education with the promise of better jobs, only to leave campus deep in debt and needing to put their "nose to the grindstone" immediately -- at the only moment in their lives when theoretically they might be free to see the world, do volunteer work, or learn an arts or crafts skill. People take, or stay in, jobs not because they like them, but because of health insurance and other benefits. They are bound to their mortgage and credit card debts, their over-the-counter or prescription medications, expectations about "success", appearance, and relationships. Americans can be tied up in knots, just in different ways.
Probably half-a-dozen times in my adult life, I had some kind of meltdown, where I burst into tears and told whoever I was with that I couldn't play this "game". I couldn't think of any kind of job or office setting that appealed to me, and the whole network of other related expectations was simply too much for me. Looking back at it now, I think what was hardest was the notion of giving up my freedom to be what I am, a spiritual contemplative. Money, possessions, relationships, even home meant nothing if I didn't have the space and time to focus on the deeper meaning of everything and try to communicate that meaning through writing, music or art. My Goddess values seemed to be completely off the spectrum, almost like a color you cannot see.
The COVID era has given all of us an opportunity to re-consider what is important, individually and communally, and to re-think what freedom means. People are interpreting it very differently, aren't they? If there was ever a time to remember that notions like "freedom", "liberty" and "the pursuit of happiness" are not rigid universal constructs etched in stone, it is now. What makes me feel "free" may not be what makes you feel "free". Even opening our hearts to appreciate these differences can be a challenge. Potentially even more challenging is considering whether our freedoms enslave others. In the ripple effect going out from my life, is anyone, anywhere being actively harmed or deprived of freedom? And if so, how do I re-vision my goals? How do we as a society re-vision our goals? I have a hunch that going forward, we will no longer have the luxury of ignoring these questions.
