Reveries on Freedom

Freedom — the process of releasing the self from bondage

Freedom, as a concept, has evolved across cultures and philosophies to represent more than the mere absence of physical, social, or political restraint. At its essence, true freedom transcends external conditions and reaches into the autonomy of one's internal state. From ancient Greek eleutheria to the Buddhist notion of nirvana, cultures have long recognized that liberation includes freedom from attachment, suffering, and societal expectations. Freedom, therefore, is not only an external reality, but an ongoing, evolving process within the self.

In my view, freedom begins with a profound sense of inner liberation —a peace that emerges from within, untouched by the external noise of society or circumstance. This perspective is shaped by the insights of various philosophies: the Stoics' emphasis on mastering one's responses to life’s challenges, the Buddhist path to transcending suffering through mindfulness and detachment, and the existentialist belief in radical responsibility and self-definition. It’s a process that demands self-awareness and introspection, the courage to face uncomfortable truths, and the ability to let go of the ego that binds us to old patterns of thought and attachment. True freedom, as informed by these ideas, is not something granted by others or dictated by external circumstances but a state of being cultivated over time through personal growth and inner transformation.

Ancient Roots: Eleutheria and Roman Libertas

While freedom often feels like an individual journey, ancient societies recognised that it also took shape within the larger context of communal life. This reflection leads us to examine the foundational concepts of freedom in Western philosophy, particularly through the Greek notion of eleutheria and Roman libertas, which tied individual autonomy to collective responsibility.

In Ancient Greece, eleutheria symbolised freedom as the right and duty of individuals to live according to their own choices within the framework of civic responsibility. Freedom meant autonomy balanced by community involvement, where citizens contributed to and derived their freedom from a collective polis, or city-state. Roman libertas, on the other hand, emphasised a freedom from subjugation, an ideal centred on protecting personal rights within the law and maintaining dignity even under adverse conditions. These concepts of freedom helped shape Western political thought and laid the foundation for later ideas about democracy and personal liberty.

Eastern Philosophies: Inner Liberation

Where Western ideas of freedom focus on civic and legal autonomy, Eastern philosophies take a more inward approach, seeing freedom as a liberation from internal attachments and desires. In Buddhism and Taoism, for instance, true freedom emerges not from external rights, but from mastery over the mind and alignment with life’s natural flow.

Eastern philosophies provide rich insights into internal freedom. Buddhism teaches that the root of suffering lies in attachment and craving, which trap the mind in cycles of desire and dissatisfaction. The Buddhist path to nirvana involves releasing attachment to the self and ego, transcending personal suffering through mindfulness, ethical conduct, and meditation. In this way, freedom is seen as a mental state, a freedom from the constant fluctuations of the mind. Similarly, Taoism emphasizes the freedom that comes from aligning oneself with the natural flow of the universe, or Tao. Here, true freedom arises not from resisting life’s rhythms, but from moving with them, letting go of the need to control and instead embracing the flow of existence. Zen teachings share this perspective, focusing on emptying the mind of distractions and judgments. Zen Master Suzuki described this form of freedom as liberation from the mental 'yokes' that bind us to habitual ways of thinking. To understand one's true nature is to access a form of freedom untouched by external forces, allowing the mind to act with clarity, balance, and compassion.

Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one’s own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. By making us drink right from the fountain of life, it liberates us from all the yokes under which we finite beings are usually suffering in this world.
— Suzuki

The Stoics: Inner Autonomy

While Eastern philosophies emphasize inner stillness and harmony with nature, the Stoics present another path to inner freedom: through the disciplined control of thought and emotion. Here, freedom is cultivated by training the mind to remain unaffected by external events and mastering one’s responses to life’s challenges.

Particularly Epictetus and Seneca offer a complementary view, focusing on the autonomy of the mind as the key to freedom. For the Stoics, true freedom lies not in changing external events, but in mastering one's responses to them. Epictetus famously said, “We are not disturbed by things, but by the views we take of them.” The Stoics believed that by focusing on what is within our control—our thoughts, emotions, and actions—we can achieve a kind of emotional freedom and mental peace. This autonomy of mind allows us to remain peaceful and rational in the face of chaos, and to cultivate a profound sense of internal freedom.

Existentialism: Freedom as Radical Responsibility

Existentialism offers a unique approach to freedom, centring on personal responsibility and the freedom to define one’s own meaning. For existentialist philosophers such as Sartre and de Beauvoir, freedom is both a gift and a burden, as each individual is responsible for shaping their existence in an inherently indifferent or even absurd universe. Sartre argued that "existence precedes essence," meaning that we are not born with predefined purposes but must create them through choices. This radical freedom requires the courage to face life without illusions and to continually redefine oneself in the process. Existential freedom, then, is an ongoing journey of self-definition and acceptance of the consequences of one’s actions.

The anti-psychiatry movement, led by figures like Laing and Szasz, brought a provocative perspective to the discussion on freedom by challenging the way society defines and regulates mental health. For these thinkers, true freedom involves liberation from societal labels and institutional control, particularly in how society and psychiatry can pathologize behaviours that deviate from the norm. Laing, in particular, argued that what society labeled as 'mental illness' often stemmed from profound existential distress or a legitimate reaction to societal dysfunction, rather than a clinical disorder. By questioning the conventional frameworks for diagnosing and treating mental states, Laing and others advocated for the right of individuals to experience and interpret their own realities without coercion.

Szasz, on the other hand, proposed that true freedom included the right to self-define and reject societal narratives about what constitutes mental health. Anti-psychiatry’s emphasis on autonomy and self-definition challenges the idea that societal structures or external authorities should dictate inner experiences or label them as healthy or unhealthy. For these thinkers, freedom required questioning and even resisting the forces that sought to classify or manage human experience, promoting an inner liberation that would allow individuals to define their own realities.

Further to Question

As reflected on the nature of freedom across varied perspectives, we might ask ourselves: What does freedom mean in our own lives? Is it the ability to act without restraint, or does it lie in mastering our inner selves? How do we balance external liberties with the demands of community and responsibility? And in an increasingly interconnected world, can we redefine freedom to transcend individualism and embrace a more collective, harmonious existence? These enduring questions challenge us to continuously evolve our understanding of liberation in both its inner and outer dimensions.