For Freedom to Flourish

I am hopeful to appeal to everyone’s true nature and desire to have authentic freedom.  I believe that until a time when humanity has an understanding that if we continue to make quick judgments about others based on differences, then we will be inadvertently limiting our own access to the full measure of freedom we all so deeply desire.  When fear of difference based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation, abilities, economic status, mental health or anything else occurs it causes a feeling of lacking in the targeted person.  This stigma creates a sense that the individual feels threatened and naturally begins to learn to hide.  This helps them to avoid the fear of being vulnerable and exposed and can often create a lifetime of difficulty with feelings of unworthiness and being easily discarded.  The pressure treads on and places a great burden on an individual’s freedom, as it causes hyper-vigilance and a decreased ability to function in an open and fluid way.  I have personally felt the immense and crushing pressure of living under stigma and I can assure you that life is hard enough, but when the layer of shame and fear is added the sense of oppression is so much greater!  This issue is now being seen in our society, as mental health difficulties that are increasingly on the rise everyday.  To me this is a problem with the very foundation of the very accepted cultural norm of believing that a successful and fulfilling life looks the same for everyone.  This cookie cutter concept simply does not fit!  When the belief that achievement looks like being the first out of the gate and the first to cross the finish line, it leaves little room for an expansive view where everyone can flourish.  In my belief, the current state of things is really an all hands on deck situation.   So none of us can afford to take the chance of loosing any innovative or creative solutions to the current problems we are facing.  When an infrastructure continues to be supported where people are quickly judged about their value or ability to contribute you loose out in my opinion on an invaluable amount of unique and varied perspectives.  When I reflect, often in our history our most beautiful artists, musicians, writers and creative visionaries also struggled  with deep levels of suffering.  To me every time we loose a person to suicide or substance abuse we are quite possibly loosing a person who contained volumes of insight, but sadly we will never have the chance to find out what their wealth of potential would have contained.  My hope is that the awareness that it will require all perspectives working together to create the place of freedom, we and especially our beautiful children will thrive within.  The time of measuring anyone’s value based on preconceived judgments needs to be seen as outdated, no longer useful and very costly!  A broken concept where only a few benefit somewhat for a while, but in the end we will all loose.  The idea that our possibility, potential and beauty will only be achieved if we are all given an understanding that our own sense of lacking creates separation, division and propagation of fear.  That if we are taught about our human habit of making quick critical judgments that yes were once very useful for survival, but have now become harmful. We can then slowly begin to learn to lessen this constriction that it creates within ourselves.  Ask yourself, does the freedom you have now give you a feeling of deep satisfaction, satiation, respite and wholeness?  Or is it fleeting and a constant movement for a new easier moment that you just haven’t quite experienced yet, that exists somewhere in your future?  Everyone has the freedom to continue on in what ever way they please, but I believe it is only fair that the awareness of the possibility for a more fulfilling way to experience authentic freedom is possible.  When our fear of control and grasping for a sense of security is quelled it naturally creates space where creativity, innovation, solutions and connectivity can grow.  To me this will be the only way to preserve our beautiful and abundant Earth.  I am aware that this may appear naïve and simplistic, but I say maybe it is naïve and simplistic to continue to hold the belief that we can continue on indefinitely with the constructs that have gotten us to the state we are existing in presently?  I truly also feel that this is limited thinking and does not represent the indominable and expansive spirit that our nation was build upon.  If we say “oh it’s just too much to tackle, why even try”?  Then we are certain to never achieve this inspired place filled with hope and unconditional acceptance. The time of an everyman for himself or a dog eat dog world has run it’s course.  The time has arrived where we will need to come to an understanding of our interconnectivity, to see that we are one interdependent community to obtain the level of unlimited freedom we all so deeply desire.  What we truly contain is not just an endless stream of thoughts, but a deep and profound level of compassion and loving presence. This is the world that exploring and understanding the potential of our true nature can create and it is simply our birthright!