Freedom

I am posting the first blog today - 15th of August - India's Independence day!

Very appropriate that we start the blog with a clear understanding of what Independence or Freedom is all about and what we need to do to deserve it and to preserve it.

Freedom is not FREE! We have to work for it, pay for it and accept the responsibilities that comes with it.

I would gladly do all that and more to have my freedom any day. Won't you?

Let us start.

Freedom Defined ....

Before we can embark on our journey to Freedom, we need to define what we mean by Freedom. Countries become independent and have Freedom (July 1st marked such a day for my Canadian readers, July 4th to U.S. readers and Aug 15th Independence day is today for all my Indian readers!). But do you? Really?

What we are talking about here is the individual freedom. Individual freedom can be catogorised into three types.

Personal Freedom
Financial Freedom
Time Freedom

If we have to put these three types of Freedom in order of their importance, I will have to put Financial Freedom first and then the Personal Freedom and then Time Freedom. Without Financial Freedom one cannot expect to ever have the other two. But for our discussions here I like to go in a different order Personal Freedom, Time Freedom and then Financial Freedom. The reason for my choosing this order will become clear to you as you go along with me through the next few blogs.

I will cover the Personal Freedom in today's Blog.

Personal Freedom:

Simple definition would be: you have Personal Freedom “When you do things because you WANT to and not because you HAVE to”.

Some examples can illustrate this.

• Most Employees do not have personal freedom. They go to work because they have to and not because they want to. Yes, some may enjoy their work, like the work place and the environment, like their boss, their staff and fellow employees etc. But ask them if they would go to work tomorrow if the boss decided not to pay them anymore! If they say no way, then they are happy with their job but do not have Personal Freedom. Ask them if they have to do what the boss says even though they totally disagree and hate to do it. If they say yes, then they do not have Personal Freedom.

• Most children, boys and girls living with their parents and dependent on them for their food, shelter and education do not have Personal Freedom.

• In general most people do not have Personal Freedom as long they feel that they have to conform to what the society dictates. They have to wear certain clothes whether they like it or not. They have to celebrate certain functions whether they can afford to or not. As long as one is afraid of “what the neighbours will say” they do not have Personal Freedom.

Then who does? Who has Personal Freedom? Self-employed people have some Personal Freedom. They are their own Boss and they decide how much they get paid for how much work they do. Those who have already achieved Financial Freedom and are not dependent on anyone – boss, parents or neighbours opinion. Just think about all the people who do exactly what they want around you. Are they all Financially Free in their own right? If not they are radicals of some sort and their behaviour is usually short lived or they are great men like Mahathma Gandhi.

Why is this Personal Freedom so important? Should everyone must have it? Not at all. It is a personal choice. However, a person with this Freedom is more self reliant, self-confident and has more self worth. Usually exhibits better leadership qualities. Leads a much happier life just because the choices they make in life are theirs and they don’t spend their life blaming others for their misery and misfortune etc.

The Personal Freedom does not have to be absolute. There can be various degrees of Freedom. For example, you may decide to work for some one and give up your freedom in this area as the financial gains from this gives you freedom in other areas of importance in your life. That is ok. That is a compromise or a choice you make.

But please do not misinterpret Personal Freedom, as your right to do whatever you want. One must still obey the laws of the land and follow some rules of society that is meant for an orderly co-existence of people.

Wait for the next blog for Time Freedom.