Fly Free...

In this modern day and age, we are blessed with something that we all take for granted... Our freedom... We have the opportunity to do as we will, as we wish... Ironically, despite all we've done and sacrificed to obtain such freedom, the vast majority of us are still no better than the caged beasts in a zoo... What does it mean exactly when I say free? There's a question that can spark an eternity of arguments and debates... But fundamentally, freedom is to be able to do what you want, and not to conform to anyones or anythings expectations or standards... Even your stereotypical rebel isn't really free, when you really think about it... The typical modern rebel vying for 'freedom' does so by conforming to the standards that others have labelled as being rebellious... Thus, theoretically, he no longer is a rebel, but just changing his stance and point of views from one to another... Yes, I know this is a really annoying and redundant topic that's probably going to go round and round in circles, but it's been on my mind for the past few days, and it's made me think a lot more than I usually do...

Many things conflict with one another, in regards to freedom, being free, and the social and personal context we find ourselves in... If one chooses freely to conform to the social norms, does that make him free? Or does that indicate a conscious choice to lose one's freedom? I myself think that I have a soul of a Dragon, so in essence, I have joined the ranks of others who think of themselves as Dragons... One can argue that I chose freely, and no one made me or expected me to make my decision but myself, so I still retain my freedom... However, one could also say that I had an expectation upon myself to be a Dragon... So does that merit any changes to my stance on being free? Sigh, I've been giving myself one hell of a headache with all these thoughts, but still, it's better than living life aimlessly... So let's carry on...
So, how do we tell if we are free? How can we achieve such freedom as to be unchained to any definition? Well, to start, one must realise that they aren't as free as they thought... One needs to rise above it all... This is by no means an easy task... Everyone would like to think that they are free to make their own choices and decisions... Everyone believes that they have set out upon a path that they themselves chose... Now here's the glaring point in my prior statement... They chose to set upon a path that they themselves chose... That shows that the path existed, someone had created it before them... And now they're just following it... And even then, how much of your supposed choice was really yours, and how much of it was either influenced or suggested by the environment around you? The only true freedom is in ignorance or enlightenment... One you have is when you're born, the other's when you die... Life in between is where you lose that freedom... Or do you?
If you live your life with no expectations, and without the expectations of others, living life for life's sake... That's a good indication of having a free life... Or as close to it as you can get... You're going to have to burn a few strings that bind you, which might include family and friends, but if they really are your kin of heart and blood, they'd understand... In other words, once you realise that you're not as free as you thought you were, you have taken the first step towards that freedom that mankind always talk about, but hardly ever experienced...
Take flight on wings of fire, never let yourself be grounded... When you're above it all, you'll know what freedom is, and how much of a slave you were before... Then, and only then will you be able to start the journey towards freeing yourself...