Do You Feel You Are Free?

Exactly what those in power and control want everyone to believe - Look what freedom we have given you , they say, smiling nicely to our face while preparing the sword to stab us in the back.
Don't woorry though,
deception will stop one day.
Deception has been in human societies since the beginning, not going to ever change.
 

Lots of doom and gloom in this thread!

It’s become a hackneyed phrase, but it’s a personal truth for me. Freedom is a state of mind. Making the choice to become untethered from the need to control outcomes has been expansive and liberating for me.

Everything outside of myself is beyond my control. The only person I can control is me, which means I am entirely responsible for my reaction/response to them.

When the news of the world starts getting me down, I simply unplug from it and stop reading and listening. I personally, by myself, can’t control the prevention of a nuclear war, another Covid outbreak, one political party or another gaining power, so I unplug because I don’t have the power to control any of those outcomes. Following those stories makes me unhappy so why would I do that to myself?

Freedom for me is found in letting go of my need to control, which is where many of my anxieties are seated. I only have control over myself and my reactions to external circumstances. I find freedom in going with the flow of the things I can’t control or just ignoring them. It’s breaking free from society’s expectations and living a life that is meaningful to me, no matter how it may appear to anyone else. It’s fully embracing the idea that what others think of me is none of my business, and no longer caring what they think.

Ignorance of things one chooses to ignore can, in fact, be blissful if it’s mindful, thoughtful ignorance. 😉
You said what I was trying to say, and so much better! What we color our worlds with is up to us. I have a neighbor who is always watching the news and then sharing the worst stuff with everyone she can, with much head shaking and tsk'ing. I may sometimes briefly skim the headlines, but mostly I focus on what makes me feel empowered and content. News don't cut it!
 

Freedom in America is an illusion, it can be taken away any minute, your life , car , house can be taken in minutes.
Please explain your comment. Obviously any of us could lose our lives from one moment to the next. Vehicles can be stolen, but that's what insurance is for. I don't know of anyone whose house was taken from them "in minutes" outside of natural disasters.
 
You said what I was trying to say, and so much better! What we color our worlds with is up to us. I have a neighbor who is always watching the news and then sharing the worst stuff with everyone she can, with much head shaking and tsk'ing. I may sometimes briefly skim the headlines, but mostly I focus on what makes me feel empowered and content. News don't cut it!
That's the one of the core causes for(as this thread title asks)"do-you-feel-you-are-free." , those certain media outlets that generate outrage and fear in their audience as a means for control.
 
Freedom in America is an illusion, it can be taken away any minute, your life , car , house can be taken in minutes.

The illusion is profitable./ for profits, humongous profits.

"People also ask

Does the pharmaceutical industry lobby?
The healthcare industry is the second largest industry lobbying group in the United States behind the finance sector. It donated more than $600 million to politicians ahead of the 2020 elections. The pharmaceutical industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars per year to sway federal and state policy." "
 
“Are you free” is a pretty broad statement. As far as I know, none of us on this site are living in a restrictive regime. There are rules to live by and we have to use common sense. Ask this question to someone in Hong Kong, Russia, etc. We’re all lucky to live wherever it is we are.
 
Are we ever free of illness, old age, death?
There are many historical and also Biblical examples of being free from illness, the seven tribes without illness around the world being the most recent example I recall for now.
The more modern any group gets, the more it gets sick, it seems always.
 
“Are you free” is a pretty broad statement. As far as I know, none of us on this site are living in a restrictive regime. There are rules to live by and we have to use common sense. Ask this question to someone in Hong Kong, Russia, etc. We’re all lucky to live wherever it is we are.
what makes you think people in Hong Kong aren't free ?....there's places like North Korea where the populations certainly are not free in most senses of the western way...
 
what makes you think people in Hong Kong aren't free ?....there's places like North Korea where the populations certainly are not free in most senses of the western way...
I agree that North Korea is a much better example of an oppressive regime. Demonstrations re the suppression of freedom in Hong Kong are common in Vancouver so HK popped into my mind first.
 
Lots of doom and gloom in this thread!

It’s become a hackneyed phrase, but it’s a personal truth for me. Freedom is a state of mind. Making the choice to become untethered from the need to control outcomes has been expansive and liberating for me.

Everything outside of myself is beyond my control. The only person I can control is me, which means I am entirely responsible for my reaction/response to them.

When the news of the world starts getting me down, I simply unplug from it and stop reading and listening. I personally, by myself, can’t control the prevention of a nuclear war, another Covid outbreak, one political party or another gaining power, so I unplug because I don’t have the power to control any of those outcomes. Following those stories makes me unhappy so why would I do that to myself?

Freedom for me is found in letting go of my need to control, which is where many of my anxieties are seated. I only have control over myself and my reactions to external circumstances. I find freedom in going with the flow of the things I can’t control or just ignoring them. It’s breaking free from society’s expectations and living a life that is meaningful to me, no matter how it may appear to anyone else. It’s fully embracing the idea that what others think of me is none of my business, and no longer caring what they think.

Ignorance of things one chooses to ignore can, in fact, be blissful if it’s mindful, thoughtful ignorance. 😉
Thank you Ronni!!
 
That's my worry.
@Remy, I actually think it might be better for you to stick it out there a bit longer. Just my opinion based on research, but I think in a couple of years the hot housing market will cool down. And since you don't own a home there isn't an urgency for you to sell to make a profit.

Right now, there are very few houses available. One reason has been low interest rates on mortgages, which are now increasing. Another is a shortage of housing. Not only are inexpensive houses not being built, major corporations are buying up entire neighborhoods and renting them out at criminal prices so first-time buyers are locked out of the market. A third reason is the rise in the cost of building materials due to supply chain issues and inflation. These should all moderate at some point.

We moved to TX 16 years ago because real estate prices were so low, but now they are through the roof. (We have lots of Californians moving here!) I'm pretty certain this bubble is going to burst and you will be in a better financial situation when it does. Even if interest rates are higher, that could be offset by lower real estate prices.
 
That is a complicated question. As usual, I'll answer from the standpoint of a gay man, which some may minimize and say "that only applies to you", but hopefully some will find a different perspective interesting.

While some in this forum may have felt freer in times past, I never felt free right up to the 2000's. I was with my partner for a good 10 years before I even let anyone at my company know I was gay. I was in fear of persecution or even losing my job. We went on a cruise with my parents in the early 90's, and our table mates asked (because he is Filipino) if he was an "exchange student". My mother used to introduce us as "her sons" to avoid the stigma.

Now, even though there has recently been such hate in our country towards minorities, certain faiths, the gay community and even women I do feel free to go anywhere with my partner and feel comfortable. In our "bubble" in Dallas, no one bats an eye. That, to me, is priceless. I couldn't do that in Russia or in many Middle Eastern countries.

Am I free to go for walks around the lake, walks around the mall, to go out for lunch, to go to the grocery store, to go to plays, to go to movies, etc.? Absolutely. And I appreciate it. If someone shoots up any of these places, I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't stop living my life.

When all is said and done, freedom has a completely different meaning for me. I just hope the freedoms I currently enjoy aren't taken away soon.
 
That is a complicated question. As usual, I'll answer from the standpoint of a gay man, which some may minimize and say "that only applies to you", but hopefully some will find a different perspective interesting.

While some in this forum may have felt freer in times past, I never felt free right up to the 2000's. I was with my partner for a good 10 years before I even let anyone at my company know I was gay. I was in fear of persecution or even losing my job. We went on a cruise with my parents in the early 90's, and our table mates asked (because he is Filipino) if he was an "exchange student". My mother used to introduce us as "her sons" to avoid the stigma.

Now, even though there has recently been such hate in our country towards minorities, certain faiths, the gay community and even women I do feel free to go anywhere with my partner and feel comfortable. In our "bubble" in Dallas, no one bats an eye. That, to me, is priceless. I couldn't do that in Russia or in many Middle Eastern countries.

Am I free to go for walks around the lake, walks around the mall, to go out for lunch, to go to the grocery store, to go to plays, to go to movies, etc.? Absolutely. And I appreciate it. If someone shoots up any of these places, I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't stop living my life.

When all is said and done, freedom has a completely different meaning for me. I just hope the freedoms I currently enjoy aren't taken away soon.
You have reminded us that freedom is as much about ordinary, everyday things as it is about headline rights. Thank you.
 
@
“Are you free” is a pretty broad statement. As far as I know, none of us on this site are living in a restrictive regime. There are rules to live by and we have to use common sense. Ask this question to someone in Hong Kong, Russia, etc. We’re all lucky to live wherever it is we are.
I knew this from a pretty early age being my mother was from what became East Germany. I've mentioned this before. She hated the Eastern block so bad and said she never thought she'd see it come down. She returned to Dresden afterward. We went in the 70's when I was a teenager but didn't make it to Dresden due to car trouble with the rental car. The Eastern block is not something many Americans were not able to see I imagine.
 
@Remy, I actually think it might be better for you to stick it out there a bit longer. Just my opinion based on research, but I think in a couple of years the hot housing market will cool down. And since you don't own a home there isn't an urgency for you to sell to make a profit.

Right now, there are very few houses available. One reason has been low interest rates on mortgages, which are now increasing. Another is a shortage of housing. Not only are inexpensive houses not being built, major corporations are buying up entire neighborhoods and renting them out at criminal prices so first-time buyers are locked out of the market. A third reason is the rise in the cost of building materials due to supply chain issues and inflation. These should all moderate at some point.

We moved to TX 16 years ago because real estate prices were so low, but now they are through the roof. (We have lots of Californians moving here!) I'm pretty certain this bubble is going to burst and you will be in a better financial situation when it does. Even if interest rates are higher, that could be offset by lower real estate prices.
Thank you for this reply. I'm just not sure this is the same as the early 2000's when they were giving all these loans out to people who didn't deserve them and people refinancing their houses like crazy because they couldn't stand the fact of all that equity they thought they had.

In my specific area, I also think the fires are driving the prices. And as I've mentioned no new mobile home parks when a bunch of them burned. I don't know what is going to happen around here. I wish something would happen to help the prices come down or at least level.
 
Thank you for this reply. I'm just not sure this is the same as the early 2000's when they were giving all these loans out to people who didn't deserve them and people refinancing their houses like crazy because they couldn't stand the fact of all that equity they thought they had.

In my specific area, I also think the fires are driving the prices. And as I've mentioned no new mobile home parks when a bunch of them burned. I don't know what is going to happen around here. I wish something would happen to help the prices come down or at least level.
I know what you mean, there were several mobile home parks around here as well that burned, from fancy ones w/2-car garages to plainer ones like the ones that most of my family who got burned out lived in.

About a week after the fire, a realtor here in town had an article in the local newspaper about "don't expect houses prices to go down anytime in the foreseeable future."
 
That is a complicated question. As usual, I'll answer from the standpoint of a gay man, which some may minimize and say "that only applies to you", but hopefully some will find a different perspective interesting.

While some in this forum may have felt freer in times past, I never felt free right up to the 2000's. I was with my partner for a good 10 years before I even let anyone at my company know I was gay. I was in fear of persecution or even losing my job. We went on a cruise with my parents in the early 90's, and our table mates asked (because he is Filipino) if he was an "exchange student". My mother used to introduce us as "her sons" to avoid the stigma.

Now, even though there has recently been such hate in our country towards minorities, certain faiths, the gay community and even women I do feel free to go anywhere with my partner and feel comfortable. In our "bubble" in Dallas, no one bats an eye. That, to me, is priceless. I couldn't do that in Russia or in many Middle Eastern countries.

Am I free to go for walks around the lake, walks around the mall, to go out for lunch, to go to the grocery store, to go to plays, to go to movies, etc.? Absolutely. And I appreciate it. If someone shoots up any of these places, I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't stop living my life.

When all is said and done, freedom has a completely different meaning for me. I just hope the freedoms I currently enjoy aren't taken away soon.
That is a great attitude! One can't go around feeling afraid all of the time. I am not gay, but I am in an interracial marriage. It is amazing how many people stare at us when we are out and about. I remind myself that there was a time in history when we would not have been even allowed to marry. I saw the movie about the Lovings, who were persecuted because they married. So I am glad that you feel safe to be who you are, where you are!
 
Personally, I opt to sit on the sidelines when it comes to protests. Granted, there are plenty of good reasons for people to protest in this day and age, but I'll leave that to the younger people. I always vote and stay informed. There may come a time in the near future when that changes and I'll feel the need to participate in activism. The line will be crossed when it looks like we're losing our democracy.

People waited until it was too late with the recent repeal of the Roe v. Wade. It's done and people will pay the price for not getting out and voting when it mattered. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

We'll see this November what kind of risk there is to our democracy. We came close to losing it last year. There will be another hearing tomorrow with more incriminating evidence. Whether or not anything comes from it remains to be seen.
 


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