Independence through Interdependence

The degree to which I am able to freely live, work, and move in the world is directly dependent on the quality, strength, diversity, and abundance of my relationships in any given Place–far more so than differences in political or economic structures.

As a Western-minded individual & strong-willed young person, self-sufficiency & independence are deeply woven into my values, motivations, and life-orientations. As an American, the whole origin story of my country is founded upon the narrative of independence, the will to Freedom, the righteous & bloody human struggle against powers that would seek to dominate, control, and suppress the right to be & live as we [the People] wish. In peace, liberty, pursuit of happiness, etc.

Thus, be it my own nature or the greater weaving from which I sprung, I've been commandeering and pushing for my right to individual expression & independence since I was a young child. Watching myself grow, I see as well all of those potholes & dead ends I ran into when my insistence on independence turned towards egoism, stubbornness, & idealism. Pride.

Balance is due. Honest inquiry is due. What is it to be independent, sovereign, free & how might we actually achieve this–in harmony with all of the other beings to which we are directly or indirectly related?

For me personally, "independence" calls forth the style or memory of relating as a child or adolescent. It implies some level of resistance to others' influence (including their help), as well as the process of overthrowing authority. Be that false or true authority–it's all the same to the fiery spirit of a teenager! And this spirit of rebellion, this tendency towards destruction, has a very special & valuable role to play in the evolution of both individual & society. It is the fire that continues to transform & test the old in order to make space for the new to be born, in accordance with the ever-changing nature of creation & will of the Creator.

Into my early adulthood, however, my gaze has turned rather towards Freedom as a fundamental guiding principle in my Life–in my spirituality, my relationships, my political views, etc. Freedom seems to include independence, but goes beyond it as well...into the nameless & formless, ungraspable nature of Life & even self. Freedom even from the limitations imposed by rigid independence or any other names, belief systems, dogmas, opinions, forms of dualistic thinking, etc. Freedom preserves & protects the space for Mystery & Beauty to unfold in spontaneous creation. It is the Heart of the transforming fire itself.

As you can see, I am a lover of Freedom.
I am faithful, committed, and devoted to Freedom. By God, I think I'd even 'tie the knot' with Freedom–I want it to be mine forever, settle down and have a family with it. But Freedom just keeps setting me free, untying all my knots, outmaneuvering all my feeble attempts at permanence.

If I wish to be anything, I wish to be truly free.
Freedom from all of the self- & other-imposed constrictions, manipulations, illusions. Freedom from suffering, entrapment, slavery, sin. Free to experience the fullness of being alive, being a human on planet Earth in all its ups & downs. Freedom even from [& to] my desires, beautiful & devastatingly powerful as they may be.

I am not tempted by the flirtations of Comfort nor Security, because my Love is faithful, my Love is true. I will not sell my Freedom for anyone or anything. I know that the only real security against the infinitely changing & uncertain nature of existence comes by virtue of true Freedom & sovereignty, the ability to respond in full presence & resourcefulness in this given moment.

What will be will be–just let me live & die free.

AllOne but not Alone ~
The Complementarity of Unity & Diversity

Now, considering the fact that you can read this, you must have already gone through the early childhood/toddler stage of discovering that in addition to this self & one's own will, there is the Other! Many others–with whom we live & depend upon, influence & are influenced by. There is no getting around this fact of life, and it is a fact of life that comes with its fair share of strife, pain, & frustration. People think differently than you. The fact that we can even communicate coherently let alone at great depth is quite amazing, considering each being exists within an incredibly unique and complex weave of relationships, stories, impressions, concepts, values. To each his or her own universe!

Did you think we were all living in one and the same world?

There is also no circumventing the fact that some people or entities on this Earth have a great deal of power & may not be using that power in a way that is conducive or supportive to your freedom or wellbeing. There are many layers & dimensions to this whole "coexisting" thing, and there is a lot at stake. The huge corporation down the street, who is by law a "person," also wants to exercise its right to act without constraint & pursue its own definition of happiness & fulfillment...maybe that means buying up the mountain behind you and turning it into a billion-dollar housing development. Do mountains & the ecosystems they encompass have rights? What about Freedom of the Land itself?

The New Zealand river that became a legal person

In 2017, New Zealand granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River. Since then, other nations have followed suit in an effort to protect the environment.

BBC TravelKate Evans

What if the Freedom of the Land, the Freedom of water to flow its natural course has a direct relationship with your ability & that of your children's children to be a free, healthy, and happy human being?
I absolutely believe it does. We are all related. By nature, we are intricately interwoven within a web of interdependent (sometimes co-dependent–yikes!) relationships with everyone & everything, whether we like it or not.

It absolutely affects me if the people in my surrounding community & even the whole Earth have the opportunity, space, and freedom to follow their passions, their happiness, and to develop their own authentic, unique offerings. In peace.

But instead of creating & expressing from the purest places within ourselves, we [the People] seemed to have locked ourselves into systems of wage labor, perpetual debt, working our lives away. For what? To buy stuff?
Consumerism is eating us, too...our time, our energy, our life.
So, have you bought the cheap sales pitch, have you traded in your Freedom for security & creature comforts? Have you sacrificed your childlike wonder & the infinite possibility of creatorship on the altar of social conformity, safety, job security?

Here's your chance now to deem that contract null & void as the sovereign creator being that you are.
You cannot give away something that you do not own, and you cannot own Freedom anymore than you can own Love. Freedom & Love simple are...inherent principles of being alive here now–not things or possessions.
Furthermore, you didn't pay for the degree of Freedom available to you now–that was the doing of hundreds of generations of ancestors who struggled, fought, & prayed this moment into being. This moment, in which, you are free to choose Freedom.
Christ also paid the ultimate price to offer a Way for human beings to know & access true Freedom & divine Love...as it exists already & forever here now.
Thus, you cannot give it away. You can only be tricked, distracted, and misled into believing it's gone, lost or impossible, into putting constrictions & limiting narratives upon your self & what it is to be alive.
So declare it everyday until you feel it & know it to be true ~
I am free,
I am free,
I choose Freedom.

And then act and speak from that place of knowing...because although the potential for it is always here, Freedom is like a muscle–if you don't exercise it, you lose it!

You have an internet connection and a brain at the very least–start by exercising your freedom to choose the streams of information, inspirations, and influences coming into your field of reality. Ask for discernment to know which streams of information/media, situations, and relationships in your life are truly helpful for your growth, wellbeing, and innerstanding. Develop a relationship of deep listening with your Heart. I know you know the Way! You are a sovereign creator being, whether you know it yet or not!!

Freedom through Relationship & Reciprocity

Becoming independent & recognizing ourselves as a sovereign People through/by means of our Interdependence;
Acknowledging & uplifting the fundamental role of healthy, reciprocal relationships in achieving True Freedom for all!

Upon living in a few different countries with various degrees of political/systemic freedom...I have made the following conclusion:
The degree to which I am able to freely live, work, and move in the world is directly dependent on the quality, strength, diversity, and abundance of my relationships in that Place–far more so than differences in political or economic structures.

Given, I have never tried to fully work & live in extremely poor (financially speaking) countries. But I have noticed in such countries the incredible richness & importance that community/relationship with others & with Nature takes on. And I have experienced levels of community, self-sufficiency/freedom, and nature-connectedness that would have me believing Paradise is a place on Earth.
And while many of these experiences of community & inter-connectedness also took place in modern Western countries, overall there seems to be a trend in more developed countries towards individualism and separation. There is plenty of literature in the field of Social & Cultural Psychology on this topic for those interested.

Of course, it is clear that relationships are important everywhere. We are social beings by nature. Successful businesses are good at networking. Healthy, strong individuals are good at cultivating quality relationships based on respect, reciprocity, and Love.

The Places where I have had a chance to develop a large number of rich relationships across diverse different circles of people, are also the places in which I have experienced the most Freedom & opportunity in terms of how I can spend my time & my Life–both in work & play.

When I speak of play, I am talking about a diverse range of activities, events, opportunities to connect to others & myself, and to enjoy Life. Abundance of Nature is also very important to me in this regard–I am happier when I have plenty of opportunities to connect with & be in Nature.
When I speak of work, I am speaking to possibility of pursuing my true passions & finding purpose in what I do to sustain myself economically & flourish spiritually. I owe an incredible degree of thanks for all of the people in my life who have been instrumental in helping me develop myself and discover & cultivate my own unique offering in Life.

In places where I lack that level of community & an abundance of sincere connections with like-minded & good-hearted people, I find myself most often getting trapped into limited possibilities of wage labor...what seems to be available & necessary to make ends meet in these situations is most often various jobs that do not allow the full range of creative possibility & fulfillment that I crave.

There is great power in gathering together. We [the People] have the power to magnify our Inspiration & heart-fullness through sharing it in circle...just as we also have the power to magnify our collective traumas, fears, rage, etc.
I simply make the choice as an individual to focus on Beauty, Joy, Peace, growth, and evolution...and trust that Life will bring me naturally together with those who are doing the same. So far it has worked out great!

When we gather and share our individual seeds & visions, we also combine our "Durchsetzungskraft"–the ability to actually bring those visions into being. I believe in you, you believe in me, let's get together & create a new reality!

By embracing natural interdependence, both with People & the Land we live upon, we achieve true Freedom & independence from the constrictive or manipulative forces that also exist here on Earth.

Get curious about the People around you–they are treasure boxes of potential knowledge, skills, and wisdom. Not with the mindset of taking but for the joy of giving & receiving, growing together. For relationships are more than sources of opportunisitc self-gain or collective survival–they are vital for our mental, emotional, & spiritual flourishing...growing, healing, reflecting, knowing ourselves. Love is a resource that grows when it is shared! WE are abundance.

I give thanks for all of the plants, animals, mountains & rivers that make it directly possible for me to be alive! Herbs are the People's medicine, the knowledge of which is key in reclaiming sovereignty over our health, our bodies, our natural sensitivities & cycles.
Mother Nature gives & gives & gives, a self-replenishing & sustaining source of true abundance, healing & teaching us if we are willing to receive. A child's Love & happiness is enough to complete the circle of reciprocity in the Mother-child relationship–that's the Love of the Mother. There are also many ways to physically give back & be a good steward of the Land, as the original instructions of all Peoples of the Earth hold as our God-given responsibility (& honor).

And as for the breath & gift of Life that animates my being, I know only to make my Life an offering & living testament to the highest & deepest Love that I Am & can, from which I came & will return. Here & now.

If I am honored to be part of your life & relate to you, I ask that you please do me the service to also hold me accountable to that aim...As I am also human & limited in my striving. The journey of freeing oneself is a process & I am happy to have all the help I can get! In loving & honest communication, and respect.

"I am because you are // I am because we are" ~ Ubuntu proverb

Love, Ness