We humans have such amazing capacity. When at our best we truly are an extraordinary species. We are achieving greatness. With this said, are we clever and extraordinary enough, to set ourselves free? Some of us might well be.
When I talk of freedom, I’m referring to the ability to reach the core of what we are, and to let all other things go
We’re all “born with an inclination toward virtue” – Musonius Rufus.
What a fabulous belief that is. Acknowledging, that at our root, we are all virtues beings, helps us understand how our experiences, (lived firsthand or witnessed) go on to create the chains we drag around with us all our lives. Those of us who are raised without fear and prejudice are most likely to live a life I would consider free. Let’s face it, though, who of us is raised in such a manner that they are never exposed to fear, prejudice, injustice, hatred, and anger? These things are all around us from the moment we are born. And of course we can’t help but be infected by them.
The antidote to this comes in the form of how aware we are of these chains
Imagine each belief we hold – that is borne of fear – creates a link of chains around our ankles. The emotional strength, or bond of each belief, determines how many links each chain has. It doesn’t take much to grasp that the more of these emotionally bound beliefs we hold, the more enslaved we are as a result.
Very quickly we can gain an understanding of the nature of our beliefs and where they came from
As a result of understanding the nature of our beliefs, we raise our awareness of the possibility that we’re enslaving ourselves with the heavy chains of those borne of fear. When more of use truly grasps the destructive nature of so many of our prejudicial beliefs (that we’re barely aware of), we will then go on to free ourselves incrementally. Through raising our awareness, stage by stage, we will once again achieve the freedom we were born with.
Practising Mindfulness 
Leave a comment