Sunday Story...Free at Last

Sunday Story...Free at Last

A lot has been made recently of living in a “free society”. We Americans make a lot of living free. We have the freedom to do this or that. The freedom to choose our careers, how much money we make, the people we associate with, and the freedom to say what we want when we want about whatever we want.

Not so many years ago, it was unusual to have many of these freedoms. If you were born into a particular family you were expected to be a black smith, or a cook, or a politician. Your career was chosen by the family you were born into. It didn't matter that you were a great artist, or writer or shop clerk, you had to be a black smith, or garbage collector or farmer. It was the lot you drew.

Today, in this country, you can be anything you choose to be. You can be anything, or anybody you choose to be, do, or have. In many ways this is unprecedented in the history of the world. For centuries we never had this freedom. We were doomed to be pigeon-holed into a particular place due to the circumstances of our birth. To break free of that hold was treasonous, and blasphemous. It was considered reason to dis-own your children or to be placed in an institution, or even burned at the stake. Difference was to be feared and corrected, not celebrated and enjoyed.

Today is different. We encourage our children to dream the impossible dream. To reach for the stars and hit the moon. To be all they can be. To find their reason to be. To become what they can become.

And at the same time we stuff them into classrooms where obedience and conformity are rewarded. Where your test score is more important then your creativity. And yet how are we going to measure creativity, or even, does it need to be measured?

I teach martial arts. Conformity is important on a number of levels for a number of reasons. So is obedience. So is group-think. And at the same time independent thinking, reasoning and deciding is important. These two things get balanced over time for each individual.

I need each student to be the person they should be. Not the person I need them to be. What kind of world would it be if everyone was exactly how I needed them to be all the time. I mean really would that be any fun at all? Everyone I come into contact with reacts exactly the way I think they should. Says the things I want them to say, and does what I think they should do. Wow what a great place that is! And, unfortunately, it does not exist.

You are going to be you and I am going to be me. And the me is the me of all the combined experiences I have had over my lifetime. I am going to be me. I am going to be, do, say what I need to do based on my needs and wants, not yours. Just like you.

And you get the freedom to decide what to do about that.

This is the first, last, and, maybe, the only freedom you really have. The freedom to decide how you are going to react. The freedom to choose your attitude. The freedom to decide how you are going to react to any given situation.

You can take everything from me...my family, my livelihood, mu physical freedom, my mental freedom...but you can't take my freedom to choose my attitude. It is impossible for you to take. But I can give it up. I can choose to let it go and this choice is tantamount to choosing death. Because in the moment of allowing you to choose my reactions, my attitude, I have given up all my power to you. I am, in that moment, helpless and at your mercy. I give up my life, my power to you, and you get to put me where you want me.

Allowing this to happen is not good for me. I need to keep a hold of my ability to choose my attitude. This is my first and last freedom.

And then, shortly after keeping this power is the power to create meaning of what is happening to me. We all do this all day, every day...we create meaning abut what happened. So and so said this ...that means they don't like me, they really like, they are mad at me, they think I am ______(fill in the blank here with whatever you are thinking!). And make no mistake about it this is a choice...So why not choose something empowering, something that will cast that person and you in the best possible light? Wouldn't this be better than the worst light?

You are free to make this choice. Why not make the choice that will serve you best? Isn't that real freedom?

Here is a recipe for your end of the year tomatoes:
Chop tomatoes into chunks
place into a baking dish with about 10 or 12 diced cloves of garlic
sprinkle with 3 or 4 tbsp or fresh basil
drizzle with olive oil
Roast in the oven at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Use like tomato sauce or in soups or just about anywhere.
You can freeze for later too!


Namaste
John
“Teaching Focus, Inspiring Transformation”
www.martialartsnevada.com
 
Follow me at:
Twitter --- http://m.twitter.com/jmariotti
FaceBook --- John Mariotti
Blog Spots…John Mariotti 
 http://feel-good-friday.blogspot.com/
http://sunday-stories.blogspot.com/