Daily Meditation: Sunday, August 21, 2005

Freedom - privilege of the spirit

08/21/2005

The human being is capable of taking his own life in order to gain freedom. But what kind of freedom is this? Only when he succeeds in re-establishing true hierarchy in himself can he claim to be free. When he does so, he is king; he regains his place on the throne and is obeyed by all: by his sentiments, his thoughts, his instincts and his desires. For most people, freedom means opening all the doors and windows and leaving, claiming ‘I’m free’, even though they carry all their prisons within them. No, those who give priority to their desires, whims and passions are slaves, and they would be better off locking themselves up somewhere, because with this kind of freedom they are only a nuisance to others and to themselves. Freedom is the privilege of the spirit, and only those who are governed by the spirit, by the light, by all that is great, just and noble, can truly claim to be free.