Once upon a time, people lived in a land of oppression and restriction, the things that were important to them were limited by the government and they did not like situation, so off they went, into the uncertainty of the unknown, in search for fulfillment and happiness.
All through our life, we are, at one point or another, restricted. We are restricted by people and things around us, not all of us conform to the rules of the game and it is from our discomfort that we launch our desire for something different and we stand up and we make a change. And so it has been, throughout the ages, people who have been unhappy with the situation they were presented with, have stood up and said, I will not play by your rules, I will create my own rules.
Men controlled by their government, people sold through slavery, women unable to vote, minorities not recognized as whole people, the abused wife who gets beaten up and blames herself, the pushed around boy that is afraid of the bullies and the man who is punished for speaking his mind. These are all forms of oppression, if we have not personally lived through them, we know of someone who has; or at least we understand what it was like, back when it happened.
There are other forms of oppression. There is oppression that does not happen out in the open for everyone to see. There is oppression that is so deeply rooted into our customs of society and community that no one recognizes them as such, however, we know the effect.
There are those who have set rules in their hearts that they must follow regardless of the sacrifice. There are those who would follow the status quo and do what they are “supposed” to do even though they die each day, a bit more. I know you have met those who have experienced this form of oppression, even if you, yourself have not.
They are the ones that have lost the sparkle in their eyes.
There are men and women around the globe right now that wake up, go to work, pay their bills, cook dinner and go to bed and do the same everyday. They are the ones that robotically, allow life to go through them and they do not become engaged or involved in living.
Then there are those that know that their existence is empty and joyless and yet continue to live that way regardless of the fact that the emptiness that fills their heart threatens to drown them in sorrow. They knowingly sell themselves out by staying in a state of unhappiness waiting for tomorrow to bring courage, security, hope and freedom.
Furthermore, there are some that hear the music in their soul and don’t dance to their own tune because they have allowed someone else to dictate their steps. The boss, the spouse, the kids, the mother, society, even the banker. They have taken up the power that someone has chosen to give away in order to continue in their existence. Comfortable existence.
I know you have seen them; I know you know what they look like, what they sound like. They can sit there and give you 1001 good rationalizations as to why they are not doing what makes them happy. Some blame their parents, some blame society, the economy, hormones, and the rules. Some even blame God. They feel righteous for the fact that they are doing what they are supposed to do and look down on those who are different. They can quote the New York Times and the bible and give you excellent reference points for their decision to be and do what they do. They sit there and point at others who have done what they could not; and mock and judge praying that the others will fail so that their point could be proven, so that they could be validated in their choice to not take the plunge.
Some have even cocooned their life in an effort to protect themselves, in not wanting to be hurt; what they do not realize is that by avoiding pain, they have also avoided life.
And so which one are you? Whose tune do you dance to??
Creating your own music and dancing to your own song means no longer believing that society has any power over us. It means creating everything in your life from inspiration and creating life from one moment to another, not following a predestined path. It means asking the questions that no one else asks and thinking for yourself; it is shedding the masks that others wear to hide themselves from the world. It means being able to see with your soul and not believing in the “front” that everyone shows of themselves. It means listening to everyone else’s inner song and accepting that as the only truth. Being your own self means waking up to face life with a smile in your face for the sake of the smile not for what the day may bring. It means making peace with your essence and knowing that it does not matter what comes into your life experience, you are immutable, you are divine, you are FREE.
Do you feel Free?
Freedom is the ability to be the highest expression of yourself and do so without listening to the noise around you. Freedom is living in a constant state of detachment from things, from people, and even from life itself. Freedom means no “couldas”, “shouldas” or “havetos”. Freedom is singing out loud, dancing in the streets and loving exuberantly. Freedom is a physical high, a mental rush, a psychological indulgence and a spiritual uplift. Freedom comes from your cells; it invades your systems and rushes through your veins in a wave of intoxicating energy that raises you to the apex of life, for every day is the very best day in your life.
It is waking up in love with the world and acknowledging that despite the differences in our experience we are all, intrinsically, the same. It is the permission we give ourselves to fall as many times as we need to, to grow up, grow in, grow out and expand our spirit and experience life at its fullest.
It is the compassion to understand that everyone is different and allowing them their own experience without trying to get in the way. It is the courage to love when we feel it and to walk away when the experience is over. It is being honest with everyone about who you really are but mostly being honest with yourself about where and what you want to be.
In 1620, a group of people left Holland and faced impossible circumstances for a chance to be free. Half of the people that began the trip perished and the other ones faced many, many more trials once they arrived in Plymouth Rock. And in 1776, they organized and announced to the world their independence from the tyrant monarchy that oppressed them and recognized that all of us have unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Like these original settlers, like the people within the civil rights movement, women’s suffrage, and everyone else who has stood up for a cause, so you have the unalienable right to pursue your happiness, to live life to the fullest expression of yourself and to change the rules of the game.
So, as we celebrate the independence of a nation, take the step, make the move, jump off the cliff and be free, be alive.
Happy Independence Day!
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