Thursday, April 14, 2016

Personal Freedom

Abraham Lincoln spoke on freedom. This was his basic concept: 

"Even as I would not be a slave, I would not be a master."

Personal freedom is the same. If I choose to fall in love, it does not enslave me, for if that love is not returned in some measure, it is a result of the freedom of another, and that can only cause me hurt if I desire to be hurt. 

Remember the vampire.* To give to another out of fear they might be hurt is to enslave yourself. 

Only please others when it pleases you to do so.

*In the book "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah", Richard Bach had his 'Richard' character suggest "We are all free to do whatever we want to do, as long as we don't hurt somebody else." At that time a stranger appeared and when asked "Can we help you at all?" the creature replied "Yes, you can help me. I need this very much or I would not ask. May I drink your blood? Just some? It is my food, I need human blood... " With that, Richard realized that by saying no to this vampire, he would be "hurting somebody else" and therefore violating his suggested rule.

We are all free to do whatever we want to do

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