Hey #147: Seeking freedom and autonomy through material wealth? Or just the idea of them?
I was watching a movie the other day in which the characters had every materialistic possession one can think of.
Millions of dollars in their bank accounts, luxurious villas, premium cars, charter planes, exquisite clothes, world-class experiences available to them in an instant, and whatnot. All because of their material wealth.
It made me reflect…
How much freedom and autonomy, henceforth peace and harmony does one really experience after accumulating material wealth?
Mostly everyone begins with the dream of material wealth.
This dream is usually the result of life’s busyness and harshness.
We believe enough material wealth will free us from the tyranny of our careers and professions, by giving us enough freedom and autonomy.
And that freedom and autonomy will finally make us feel peace and harmony.
So, we remain fixated on equating material wealth with freedom and autonomy to the extent of chasing material wealth, without really giving a thought about…
Do we even understand the nature of freedom and autonomy? Or are we only chasing a figment which we have made ourselves believe is the answer to our suffering?
The figment which usually comes to us in our day-to-day lives when we feel the most freedom-less and autonomy-less, thus even a tiny glimpse of freedom and autonomy makes us desperate to have them.
That desperation is only natural. But the way we end up putting freedom and autonomy, thereafter material wealth on a pedestal does beg us to halt and reflect…
Are we aware of our relationship with freedom and autonomy at all in our current circumstances?
Because if we do, we won’t miss the fact:
Real freedom and autonomy are fierce. They burn all illusions behind which we conveniently hide ourselves and excuse ourselves from taking responsibility for the things that result in our suffering.
I’m talking about the illusions through which we keep running away from ourselves.
Huh what?
Well, remember those once in a blue moon days when you feel you’re completely free and have all the freedom and autonomy that you would want so much? The days when nothing is urgent, everything is taken care of, and you can just totally relax?
How do you live those rare days?
Do you begin to get fidgety sooner or later?
Do you become bored?
Does your inner voice get too loud and irritating to handle?
Do you start looking for some chore to finish, some task to complete, some problem to work on…all under the thoughtline, “I might as well put this free time to good use”?
The reasoning, justifications and validations you give to yourself when you cannot just be…
THOSE are the illusions I’m talking about.
Real freedom and autonomy expose all such illusions.
Real freedom and autonomy don’t latch onto any “use” for them to have their existence validated and celebrated.
Real freedom and autonomy exist like air around you, regardless and just because.
How do you honor that air?
You do nothing. You exist with it, regardless and just because.
Such kind of uninhibited existence is what real freedom and autonomy lead to.
They suspend our fear-driven doing, and guide us into a world of being where our doing is the result of our pure joy and interest, and not some subtle escape mechanism.
That world of being where doing follows being, is also where peace and harmony greet us and our ultimate wish gets fulfilled.
But we refuse to enter into this world.
We reject the guidance of freedom and autonomy because we’re too scared to slow down and just be, even in the fleeting moments of freedom and autonomy which our busy lives already give us once in a while.
We can’t enjoy freedom and autonomy in our present, yet we fuel our dream of material wealth with the make-believe idea, “Once I’ll have freedom and autonomy in the future, I’ll make the best use of it.”
So, we discard the freedom and autonomy, no matter how little, which we already have. And we fall into the trap of doing more to accumulate more money to have more freedom and autonomy, while having zero clue about how much material wealth is actually enough for us.
As a result, our not-so-evident-yet-present suffering gets prolonged. Then, no amount of material wealth ever becomes “enough” for us, and we constantly keep running on a hamster wheel without looking at it.
If we really want freedom and autonomy (thus, peace and harmony), we need to ask ourselves:
Are we comfortable with just being in the present?
Can we exist without having to find one thing after the other to work on so that we can escape the lack of stimulation caused by no work?
Can we co-exist with the boredom gifted by freedom and autonomy?
Can we deal with the loudness of inner noise which no longer gets drowned into the outer world’s busyness due to freedom and autonomy?
Can our nervous systems feel safe and calm in the stillness of no urgency and busy-ness whatsoever?
And the ultimate questions…
If we can’t enjoy freedom and autonomy in our present, what makes us believe we will be able to enjoy them in our future?
So, what are we really after when we talk about accumulating material wealth? Freedom and autonomy? Or an idea of them?
As long as we don’t have clear (no matter how bitter) answers to these questions, I’m afraid what we’re seeking is not freedom and autonomy, but indeed a shiny mirage of them.
Thus, the resultant peace and harmony we seek? Yep, that’s a shiny mirage too.
And the thing with mirages is — They seem tempting only from a distance, unless one is aware of their reality.
As you begin to observe and understand the reality of your beliefs around material wealth, freedom, autonomy, peace and harmony, you’ll also see:
1) Your subconscious mind knows things that your conscious mind can’t even fathom.
So, if you’re struggling to build the kind of material wealth you want, you need to take a pause and go deeper…
Is my subconscious protecting me from the unsafety which it knows I’d feel in the freedom and autonomy unlocked through material wealth?
Your external reality is the outcome of your deep-seated belief systems. If any of them associates freedom and autonomy with scary boredom and overwhelming inner world’s chatter which freaks out your nervous system, then your wish to live a reality of material abundance would be perceived as a danger.
Thus, your subconscious mind will leave no stone unturned in keeping you away from this danger…UNLESS you go closer to those belief systems and replace them with the ones that support your desired reality.
In other words…
Assess your relationship with freedom and autonomy. Not the kind of assessment which you think you already have. But the kind which challenges your preconceived notions.
2) Most of what we long for is an assumed source of peace and harmony.
Yes, some longings do end up giving us the things we thought they would. At the same time, many of our longings don’t end up that way. It’s when we realize the extent of our assumptions and expectations.
I don’t mean to demean assumptions and expectations. They’re a natural part of being a human. What I do want to highlight is getting a 360° view of what’s happening…
Am I sure that the kind of freedom and autonomy I’m seeking is actually the kind I really want? Is it possible I’m clinging onto others’ ideas of freedom and autonomy as my own?
Contemplations like these bring you closer to YOUR reality. It’s no surprise if these contemplations end up making you realize that you already have what you earlier thought you didn’t. Or that…you don’t really need what you earlier thought you needed to make your life peaceful and harmonious, because what you actually need looks different.
Gift yourself such a reality check. Much of what doesn’t seem to make sense now, will start making sense.
Having said that, I will never deny the fact that material wealth is fun and delicious.
It gives you some of the best experiences which life has to offer. And yes, it does give real freedom and autonomy. Not the mirage kind, but the fierce no-BS kind.
Please don’t stop yourself from actualizing material wealth, if it’s aligned to your desires.
My two cents are all about — Do it with awareness. Mainly the awareness of your relationship with freedom and autonomy at present.
Thus, when the question, “Are you seeking freedom and autonomy through material wealth? Or just the idea of them?” comes finding you (because it will) in your journey towards material wealth...
You know your answer, henceforth your way ahead!
🦋
Until next week,
Ashi
ps: Need guidance to cultivate the awareness I just shared about? Fill in your details on this link and I’ll get back.