If there was no gravity in this world my body would be free from its pull. I wonder if I were completely free, would I dissolve and be carried off into space like a flower's pollen on the wind? Swirling to and fro and twisting into eternity.
This is my unofficial response to Freedom Challenge #4: If you lived in a free world how would your life be different?. There are just two days left to enter!
Today I was hiking in the woods and on my way up a dirt road, on the side of the road I saw that someone had done their business there. I didn't see their business but the papers left behind had clues on them.
My first reaction was to be angry.
Why would someone defecate on the side of the road? And especially why would they not bury their paper? Part of the anger I felt was probably due to seeing trash on the side of the road and into parts of the wilderness, scattered about. Here and there and some places people would dump their garbage bags in piles.
But the anger was deep and subtle and not wanting to come up and be real anger. After feeling that initial spur of anger my next feeling was to write it off as something normal. I asked myself why do I have that anger? The answer is because I know of problems created by our society. We won't stop having trash and littering isn't going away anytime soon.
The feeling I get when I see litter, in that moment, is symbolic for how I feel of all the things I do not like about my culture, including waste, pollution and greed.
That anger is keeping me from being free. And since my anger is coming from the world, I cannot be free in this world.
Just then I remembered that most animals don't bother to dig a hole and poop in it. Most of them just do their business on the ground and move on.
And then I thought back to that person who had come out in the woods and did their business. They felt free in that moment. Free from needing to find a toilet, free from flushing anything, free from needing a door for privacy. They were alone, in the woods and free.
What makes us different from the animals? They just are while we have needs.
One of the reasons I enjoy going to the woods is because I feel free. I am further from the problems of society and closer to an idea of perfection, utopia.
I think part of the anger I feel stems from the fear that our societal problems will get worse before they get better. That fear follows me in the background, subconscious and not often thought about, until now thankfully.
If that is true then I can draw the conclusion that I fear my fellow man because I fear that solving our problems lie not just in my hands but theirs as well. The fear can lead to anger and that anger can lead to blame. And I do not want to blame my fellow man for the problems in this world because I would be blaming myself.
Now I appreciate seeing the trash in the woods, even if I don't agree with why it is there (But I also appreciate that the further into the woods I get the less trash I see). Because it reminds me of the world that I live in, and it reminds me to accept the good with the bad. It does no good to enter a paradise with the goal of escape.
That paradise is always around me, because it is in me.
I am a child of nature and that perfection lies within. I do not always remember this - and that I think is what is not free about my world.
That reminds me. I got sidetracked... Going back to the question.
If I lived in a free world how would my life be different?
I'll imagine a free world to look something like utopia. But since I don't know what utopia looks like I'll imagine star trek because that's close enough. A civilization that got past the need for money and warring and spends its time searching, learning, experiencing and offering service to those in need. People are free to pursue what they choose.
I imagine kids from that world (just like kids in Star Trek) to be home schooled and learn at an early age how their adult self will be following the life that they choose, that fulfills them and that provides meaning to their life.
I imagine that in the free world all consumer goods are made with sustainable materials. And so if we were walking in the woods, or anywhere for that matter, we could just drop what we were holding when we were done with it and it would go back to nature. It would compost and disintegrate. Then there would be no litter and we would feel free to drop anything at anytime and literally just let go. In a figurative sense it might not even be letting go, if nothing was being "held" in the first place - like the animals in the forest - that just go.
But it's not quite utopia like the Garden of Eden because there is still conflict, differences, egos and problems. I think that the context for dealing with those problems is more free. The people feel more free because they are pursuing purpose and contributing, for the most part.
If I was in that world I would feel more free because I wouldn't be thinking about money and I would feel excited about the civilization or culture that I am contributing to or an active participant.
More of my actions would be geared toward my own personal happiness as well as contributing something to my society or community.
I would still feel obligation, guilt, fear, anger, greed and other emotions. But I imagine that they would not be as constant. They would come up with purpose and to be addressed.
I challenge myself to see my world in a new light. The light would reveal the same world as a free world. In that free world I would realize the constraints that hold me back from being free are within my control.
It won't be easy, but it is worthy of my effort to be the world that I want to live in.
Who is @sagescrub?
I am a ex-suburbanite turned permaculture homesteader. Follow my journey and I will share what I know and am learning along the way. You can learn more about me in my re-introducing @sagescrub post. Wishing you abundance in your life!
Please know that I am NOT an expert on any of the subjects that I present nor do I claim to be. So do your own research and take anything I say or do with a grain of salt!
i can identify with a lot of what you say. sometimes the problems of the world seem overwhelming and how can we even think about how to change them? ... ah... the anger comes in tides and wells and, at its best, it causes us to reflect as you did and sometimes to act. perhaps that is the reason for all of the things that "trigger us"... to reflect and consciously choose our action... always appreciate your thoughts on freedom & i love the journey you're on <3<3<3
It really is nice to have a positive outlet so that we can feel we are making a difference in the world. I am glad to have found nature and be a supporter of nature in my life :)
Beautiful post @sagescrub. I love how you went through how you felt and analyzed the feelings. I had a few Star Trek tie-ins too, but took them out LOL .
Sorry - I missed upvoting the Freedom Challenge #4 post. I haven't been able to Steem as much lately.
Great response to your own question. You've obviously contemplated this question well. The animals sure have a better relationship with the earth than we do and understand that what they leave behind becomes a part of the earth again. Unfortunately, too much of what we leave behind doesn't just stay but causes destruction.
I also agree about needing to focus on our own happiness. How did we get to this place where neglect our joy so much? - Aimee
I am glad you are finding time to get off of steem and in your world :) It is nice that we find ways to contemplate our happiness and our contributions to the world and share them here on steem!
Good post @sagescrub. i think you are right - a lot of whether we are happy or free or not comes from within.
I wouldn't strive for Utopia - it has a habit of turning into Dystopia.
And there wouldn't be a universe, at least as we know it, without gravity (tongue in cheek here).
Good points @mmo-mmo :) Best not to stick to one extreme or another.
Have a good day!
I too tend to feel pretty downtrodden about the seemingly expansive lack of conscious respect for the world around us.
I am working on focusing all my intentions towards changing my own habits and consumption in order to reflect the energy I value in the world.
I used to worry a lot about being able to change people's minds, or change people's viewpoints. Often though, people will turn to look at whatever you are looking at if you are gazing intently enough, without you needing to ask. Soon a whole crowd of folks will be searching for what you're staring at!
Thank you for sharing this. It can be hard work to change our habits towards improving ourselves. I wish you the best luck in your efforts and finding that harmony in yourself.
If only we were free enough to defecate when we feel the need to, regardless of where we are!!!
Can we? Really?
The fact that we don't is a part of social conditioning. I also can't say that it is the difference between us and animals because there are areas without toilets, where bilharzia and cholera spread quickly, where information about the connection between safe disposal of waste and disease is not well known.
Knowing is key. If you know, then you shouldn't. If you know, and you still do, that's not being free. It is being reckless. It is shirking your responsibility not just to yourself but to the greater community.
That's the irony about freedom. The greater the freedom, the greater the responsibility. Freedom's about being free to choose, knowing this and despite of this - actually, because of it - choosing responsibly.
Good points! It's too bad we can also socially conditioned not to care, or to think everything exists for us individuals. It is difficult to rise out of that one, especially when not caring is compartmentalized. That's why I think its difficult to judge fairly when we disagree with someone's action.
Very nice sagescrub.. the world that u speak of is just around the corner!
:) I am looking forward to it! In the meantime this one is also beautiful!
I share your "fears" about it having to get worse before it can get better. We are soooo far removed from our perfect natural selves at the moment, with what we consider our most basic needs already dangerously eco-damaging luxuries (generating electricity, water purification, building materials etc). Especially when we look to overpopulated countries only just beginning to develop their modern selves....
I admire your gentle confidence that picks you back up to walk the only path that can be walked: the one you are confident about, in trust, with hope and oodles of love.
All we can do is give it our best. Thanks for inspiring us!
Thank you for sharing your fears with us @sukhasanasister :) It can be scary to face the future knowing what we know. Sometimes knowing holds me back from wanting to know more. Any sadness I face about that is in my heart, not in the earth's. She helps me remember my goals that you spotted and also helped me remember just now :)
The litters on the road are one of the reasons I wish for a civilized society.
It's way worse in developing countries like Nigeria.
The problem is, a free world would be free for the good and for the bad.... And that'll be terrible
It would be nice if our cups and plates were made from leaves and wood. And we could just drop them like a tree dropping its leaves. But we are in a world filled with plastic. When the cheap petroleum runs out what alternatives will we pick up? It will be interesting to see.
Very interesting
I hope changes get made soon though