Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Personal Liberation: First Principles

Freedom is what you do after you've been done to, paraphrasing Jean-Paul Sartre. Old JP certainly felt "done to," being a student in Germany, then to have to defend and rebel against invasion and occupation, respectively. After, he didn't call for German punishment. Instead, a talked about the absurdity of the human condition and called for independence, Algerian sovereignty being an example.

It is very easy to become angry or appalled; read the news. If asked why we feel this way we are liable to point to someone else's action, like what was reported by the media. That may very well be what we are reacting to, but that isn't why we are feeling that way. The feelings we have come from within, nothing external is an arbiter, though it maybe influential.

You have freedom after another has acted. Given a choice, I work toward a world of respect and harmony. Don't cede your freedom to another's short-sightedness. Let the basics of psychology and natural law be guide posts and be humble enough to recalibrate.

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