Are you free? Are you absolutely free? How free are you? Check. Look within and tell me. Do you feel free? What is it to feel free? Do you even know what it’s like to be free? Maybe it is the feeling you get when you sit on a swing. Maybe it’s the feeling you get when you sky dive from a plane. Maybe it is the feeling you get on a Jet ski. Maybe it’s the feeling you get when you can love without limits. What is it really truly to be free? Have you ever wondered? Do you feel free when you sit in silence? Do you feel free when you can spend all the money you have on your favorite object or thing? Do you feel free when you speak your mind without having to worry if the opposite person is judging you? Do you feel freedom when you are sitting with a group of people who are just the opposite of you? Do you feel free when you’re sick, are in pain, or just plain upset? Recently, I asked my teacher. What is freedom? Why do we feel like our freedom has been taken away from us when we get married, have a child and as we move ahead in life. I see it around me. People who are old, some of them don’t feel free even though their responsibilities are over and they should feel free but instead they feel tied down because they can’t move, or can’t travel or can’t do the things they once did. Isn’t this a kind of freedom then? To do the things you once did so effortlessly. Now, even stepping out of home is a task. So, they feel constrained and they feel stuck. But my teacher said, freedom isn’t that. Freedom should be felt in every context, no matter what the situation. You can feel free even in the the most adverse situations of life.

But then I think of a soldier on a battle field, does he feel free when he knows he might not live the next minute? Is this freedom? Because at that point all he is thinking about is his family and loved ones. He isn’t feeling free I would think. But because of all the sacrifices he does, we as normal citizens get our freedom and so valuing this freedom is so important. Being thankful is so important. What about children in Syria? What about women in Saudi Arabia? Do they ever feel free? What is freedom to them? I am sure all they want to do is play on the streets or walk out of their homes without a hijab. But then if all of this is freedom and all of that is also freedom, then it’s a very wide word and it means different thing to different people. It’s not one size fits all.

I seem to love this topic and I think there are many ways to look at this word. So many perspectives and angles. So many ways to feel freedom. What if I could feel freedom, touch freedom even in the most adverse circumstances of life? Can I? Is there a way to feel free, connect with the universe, feel God’s presence, no matter how bad your life is, is this even possible? or Am I dreaming?

So many ways to feel free. So many ways to be free. The possibilities are endless. All you need to do is start. First start with the thought. I want to feel free. I am free. I am a free bird soaring in the sky. Okay. Come back to the ground. I am a free human sitting on the ground. Start with the feeling and see where it takes you.