The Courage to Be Free

Freedom and free will are demanding challenges that require reconciling our adult duties with our thirst for meaning. To find balance, it is not enough to wait for life to fulfill us: we must accept the need to abandon our old, limiting concepts.

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Between Adult Responsibility and Rediscovered Simplicity

Summary: Freedom and free will are demanding challenges that require reconciling our adult duties with our thirst for meaning. To find balance, it is not enough to wait for life to fulfill us: we must accept the need to abandon our old, limiting concepts. This text explores how fulfilling our responsibilities is the essential foundation for rediscovering an authenticity of spirit, similar to that of childhood.

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The Thirst for Meaning and Free Will

Free will and freedom are difficult concepts to live by. We are often thirsty for meaning, eager to know the deep reason for our existence. Yet, because few voices—outside of dogmas—speak on this subject, we tend to archive this thirst deep within ourselves and forget it.

However, our life draws its source from within us. It is possible to drink from it, but this requires a conscious will and concrete action. It is not the water from the spring that will come to us to quench our thirst. The water is there; it is a Grace (a gift of life) of which we are not the authors. It is within reach, so why not drink?

Often, it is simply because we are unaware of it. Or perhaps we wrongly believe that the distractions of the world of Men will be enough to satisfy us. But have you ever noticed that this "water" of the world never lastingly quenches your inner thirst?

Existence Without Awareness

Have you realized that without the awareness of this source of life and its fundamental harmony, existence sometimes seems meaningless? Everything we build eventually fades away. As Georges Clemenceau said: "The cemeteries are full of indispensable people who have all been replaced." We write our accomplishments in the sand, and a wave always comes to wash everything away.

This is where freedom and responsibility come in: it is up to the thirsty person to make the effort to bend down and drink. No one can do it in their place. Some would prefer not to have this choice and to remain like children who are entirely taken care of. The idea that one must resemble little children to reach fulfillment is often cited, but this requires a radical transformation.

Killing the "Old Man" to Be Reborn

To find this childlike simplicity, it is essential to kill the Old Man within—that is, our identity built on old patterns. This is not a question of religion, but of true detachment. If it is difficult to part with material possessions, abandoning the preconceived ideas one has about oneself is an even more arduous challenge!

Many want the privileges of a child—to be taken care of, to receive without giving—without wanting to give up their old masks. This is a capricious attitude. To find the purity of the inner child, one must, paradoxically, begin by being a true Man.

The Reality Principle and Action

Before seeking to transform your mind, accept the reality principle. Assume your duties, your obligations, and your responsibilities. It is once you are firmly anchored in your life as a Man that you can, in spirit, let go of your ego and become simple like a child again.

In life, there are priorities:

• Always do what you must do first.

• Then, if you have time left, do what you want to do.

Neglecting one's obligations always has heavier consequences than giving up a fleeting desire. You have the right to do what you want, as long as it respects the law and others, but let it never be at the expense of your commitments. A Man is someone who assumes his duties. A small clarification: the word "Man," with a capital letter, names the human being, of which women are, of course, a part.

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