Freedom and Accountability

Enrich Fromm, a German psychologist and philosopher, once wrote, “The way to become truly free in an individual sense is to become spontaneous in our self expression and behaviour and respond truthfully to our genuine feelings.” When we think of freedom, feelings of having total power and authority over our lives should be evoked; and that authority shall act as a prerequisite towards being accountable for every decision we make concerning our lives.

 

It is unfortunate that people fear their own power so much; what’s even more unfortunate is the exploitation of that fear. Too many people are conscious that our government, for example, is not doing much to change or better our lives, but they would rather suffer in silence than to speak out against the injustice. Too many people are also theoretical ‘revolutionaries’ on social networks, but many of those same revolutionaries conduct themselves completely different in the real world.

 Yes, we are social beings, and the fear of isolation is a scary one, but one should not fall into a spiral of silence because of the fear of being an individual. We allow ourselves to be oppressed by political systems out of the fear of not belonging. How often have we seen teachers/lecturers assigning a group task in class? And within those same groups you will find that everyone is reluctant to be ‘the leader’ but everyone wants to follow. This is a social behaviour that has become dominant in our society and it reflects a sad reality of how people want to rejoice together in victory but point fingers (to the ‘leader’) in defeat or failure. Everyone wants to achieve greatness but not many are confident enough in themselves to dare to try.

 As Marianne Williamson wrote, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

 SPIRITUAL FREEDOM

I understand that the subject of God and religion is a sensitive one for many people, but unfortunately this to me is the biggest subject that needs to be questioned and interrogated. One cannot be truly free if one believes in God as an external force that is outside of us. My biggest concern with religion is how it strips people of their power; it is too passive and submissive to encourage people to achieve more.

 Who is God?  Does God exist? Does God exist because He/She exists; or does God exist because we can’t explain our own existence?

 One of my biggest problems with religion (especially the one in which I grew up believing) is that it sements the idea that I do not own my life; if something bad happens then that’s God testing your faith and if something good happens then that is God (again) showering you with blessings. I’ve sat through countless sermons where priests have told people to stay true to God and believe in God’s ‘perfect timing’.

 This nonsensical idea makes me wonder why we are on earth if nothing can be claimed as ours. I believe God does exist, but not in you because You are God: the God of your own life. I don’t think one can say “I don’t fear my freedom” if one still prays. We are all human, asking for help or assistance is not a bad thing when you can relate to the person helping you; asking for help from God to me says that you acknowledge his/her existence and the power he/she has over your life.

When you were studying your butt off, pulling all nighters to attain the 90% that you got, was that an act of God or a result of your dedication and hard work? Too many people have questions about religion and the political relevance of it but most of them would rather sit through the sermons with protesting thoughts than speak out and detach themselves from all that is God and church because life without God- is YOUR life. And the accountability of how you turn out being your fault is an idea scary enough to silence great minds.

 ‘Blind pupils. -- As long as a man knows very well the strength and weaknesses of his teaching, his art, his religion, its power is still slight. The pupil and apostle who, blinded by the authority of the master and by the piety he feels toward him, pays no attention to the weaknesses of a teaching, a religion, and soon usually has for that reason more power than the master. The influence of a man has never yet grown great without his blind pupils. To help a perception to achieve victory often means merely to unite it with stupidity so intimately that the weight of the latter also enforces the victory of the former-from Nietzsche's Human, all too Human, s.122, R.J. Hollingdale transl.’