To Become Free Is Everything

To Become Free Is Everything

Agenda:
- Becoming free, stepping outside our comfort zone
- John O'Donohue - To become free is everything
- Rousseau quote - Everywhere, men are in chains
- After decades worrying about everyone else, now I am free
- Jon Bon Jovi - It's my life
- Frank Sinatra - My Way
- Be free, break out of the comfort zone

Here is the link to the video

In this episode, I want to talk about becoming free and stepping outside of our comfort zone. This comes from a newsletter that I wrote at the end of last year. I have that newsletter here with me and I want to quote some things from it.

A year ago, I was traveling through Southeast Asia for a couple months. I was still living in the US, but I wanted to travel to Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, and Malaysia. I found myself coming back to Chiang Mai, hence my move to Chiang Mai. In this particular case, I remember I was on one of the flights when I was in Southeast Asia and I reread a passage from one of my favorite authors, John O'Donohue. And that's what I really want to talk about here because I think a lot of men need to hear this message - becoming free, stepping out of our comfort zone.

O'Donohue writes, “Sometimes ideas hold us down. They become heavy anchors that hold the bark of identity fixated in shallow dead water. In the western tradition, the idea of sinfulness and selfishness of the self has trapped many lovely people all their lives in a false inner civil war. Fearful of valuing themselves in any way, they have shunned their own light and mystery. Their inner world remained permanently off limits. People were given to believe they were naturally bad and sinful. They let this toxic idea into their minds, and it gradually poisoned their whole way of seeing themselves.” I can relate to all this.

He continues, “Despite our being subjugated by negative belief, there remains a deep longing in every person for self-discovery. No one can remain continually unmoved by the surprising things that rise to the surface of one's life. It is a great moment when you break out of the prison of negative self-criticism and develop a sense of the inner adventure of the soul. Suddenly everything seems to become possible. You feel new and young as you step through the dead threshold. You can hear the old structures of self-hate and self- torment collapsing behind you. Now you know that your life is yours and that good things are going to happen to you.”

O’Donohue continues, “We were created to be free. Within you there is deep freedom.” And then O'Donohue quotes the French philosopher Rousseau. "Man was born free, yet everywhere I look, I see him in chains." And then O'Donohue continues, “Each of us has a reservoir of unknown freedom. Yet our fear holds us back. The worst chains are not the chains which others would have you wear. The chains with which you manacle yourself cut deepest and hold you longest. In a certain sense, no one outside you can imprison you. They can only turn you into a prisoner if you assent and put on the chains they offer."

I think that's really powerful, and the idea of freedom is very interesting to me. I believe that often we need to free ourselves not only from others, but we need to free ourselves from ourselves.

I quoted O'Donohue in several places in newsletters and one that I think is very relevant for here now I titled “A Mental Prison.” The link is below. You might find that interesting.

After decades, literally decades, I've spent decades worrying about other people. I supported a family of six for 35 years. I had responsibilities to clients and managers and staff and investors and students and administrators. And if you're my age, you can totally relate to that. I'm sure many of you can relate. And in later years I was worrying about aging parents, and I spent way too much time worrying about other people's addiction problems, financial problems, and mental health problems. During those years I had to remind myself, “Peter, it's not about you.” If I forgot that, then somebody would surely remind me.

Well, guess what? It's different now. It is about me. It's my life and I'm going to do what I want to do, my way. And hence my move to Thailand. This reminded me of Jon Bon Jovi's song, “It's my life.” He sings his lyrics. "It's my life. It's now or never. I ain't gonna live forever. I just want to live while I'm alive." In that song, Bon Jovi quotes Frank Sinatra when Frank sings, “I did it my way.” Remember the song? My Way?

Anyway, I thought I would share that with you. I think it's very relevant for someone our age who wants to be free, who wants to break out of our comfort zone and live the life that they want to live and not the life of someone else.

Thank you. See you soon.
Peter

Here is the link to the video

Here are the links in the video description:
- The video location: The Standard, Hua Hin, Thailand

- John O'Donohue's book: Eternal Echoes

- Newsletter: I moved to Thailand - I am free

- Newsletter: A Mental Prison - Escape through thought