Freedom Because of Choice

I spent that magic hour before sunrise walking my dogs and enjoying the warm January weather when I began to think about choice.  This morning, it seemed more clear to me that the choices we make play a large role in determining the freedom and peace of mind that we can achieve in life.

"Freedom Of" and "Freedom Because"

1.)  "Freedom of Choice" means that we have the freedom to choose to do whatever it is that we want.

2.)  "Freedom Because of Choice" means that we can receive a certain amount of internal freedom because we have decided to make certain positive choices using our freewill.  

The Differences

The choices we make may be beneficial to ourselves and society, or they may not be.  We have the freedom to choose to hurt or to heal.  In the end, it's up to you.  Most people unfortunately view this freedom as a means to self-serve regardless of how it impacts others.  In the end most people end up becoming "slaves".  To name a few examples, people may find themselves bound to substance abuse, obsessive and compulsive behaviors, and ego-driven narcissism.  These habits and personality traits can be fostered largely from the choices one makes and can be largely detrimental from physiological, psychological and sociological standpoints.

Not to hurt, not to be secretive, not to be devious, not to inhibit ourselves or others through substance misuse and reckless behavior...  These hurts stay with us forever, whether physiological or psychological.  The negatives in life inhibit our internal freedom.  However, choosing to enrich, empower, encourage, build up: these are result that stem from good and noble (however you may define these) choices that will follow us for all of our days and act as "keyways" to our internal freedom.  We can make choices not only to help others, but to better ourselves so that we may become motivators to inspire wellbeing and hope, and in the end, inspire freedom.

In short, you have the freedom to choose to do whatever you want.  However, the impact of your choices will be with you for the rest of your life.

So I urge you to ask yourselves this: "What choices have I been making?  Do they improve the self (mind, body and spirit), and do they improve other's individual lives and the greater world around me?"  Stand back and seek for ways to make improvements today and everyday in order to clean out the negatives and residual hurts that come from making poor choices.  Instead, strive to make positive, informed choices that foster healthy minds, bodies, and a sense of overall wellbeing for you and for others.  

Always searching for the next Key Experience,

J. Brewer