One Minute Musings

Many of us chase this idea of freedom.

A belief that true liberation means having the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want. We dream of lives unencumbered by obligations, responsibilities, or attachments. Or at least the types that we dislike. A pursuit which leads many of us down a path of constant motion, always seeking the next adventure, the next opportunity to experience and thereby assert our independence.

The asserting is important at times, because for some reason, in some situations, only when we assert something do we feel that we can experience it.

The journey starts early. We leave our hometowns, graduate from universities, and land our first jobs until we hustle to what we think are perfect jobs. On paper, we achieve what we set out to do.

We're free.

It's not until we find ourselves completely untethered that we realise that there is this little gap, in our understanding of freedom.

That there is this little emptiness.

There is this bedtime story from my childhood which has often made me think of this ; and this is how that story goes. One day a King is given a horse and told, the further he can ride, all the land would be his. So he rides further and further. He enjoys the acquisition. It's fun. But since there is no boundary he does not know where to stop. He wants more. So, he keeps riding amassing all the land until one day he passes out of exhaustion and ends his life.

For whatever reason, this tiny bedtime story explained to me early on that boundaries are good. That they are actually needed. Because while we are all free birds soaring with wings spread wide, all we can honestly do most of the time is fly in tight, purposeless circles. The vast sky that promises endless possibilities can be pretty empty and daunting when we don't have a destination in mind.

Take off is amazing as long as there is a confirmed landing.

At the core of this dichotomy lies a challenging question: Why do we, as a society and as individuals, find it so hard to commit? Why do we idealise a concept of freedom that often leaves us feeling lost and unfulfilled?

Reflecting on this, some of us might realise that our modern interpretation of freedom is deeply rooted in the idea of independence from external constraints. We've been conditioned to believe that true freedom means the absence of obligation to anyone or anything other than ourselves.

But could it be that this understanding is fundamentally flawed?

Let' s explore some alternative perspectives on freedom. Let's start with the Greeks. After all they had beards , so let's start with the most famous of beards. Aristotle himself.

Aristotle's view was that he saw freedom not as the ability to do whatever we want, but as the capacity to govern ourselves, to make choices aligned with our nature and the world around us. His thinking suggested that true freedom might actually require us to limit ourselves in certain ways.

Shocking one would think! Can you imagine this kind of thinking to trend on Tik Tok?

So – let's now move on from Aristotle to Kant. Immanuel Kant viewed true freedom not as the absence of constraints, but as the ability to act according to moral laws that we, as rational beings, impose upon ourselves.

Now why on earth would we do something crazy like that?

Kant proclaimed that humans are most free when they choose to follow their own rational principles rather than external influences or mere impulses. His idea of “moral freedom” emphasised self-governance and the capacity to override our desires in favour of what reason and morality dictated.

Kant believed that by exercising this form of freedom—choosing to act ethically based on universal principles determined through reason—we could fulfil our nature as rational beings. This perspective, like Aristotle's, suggested that freedom is closely tied to self-discipline and moral responsibility rather than unconstrained choice.

Can you imagine Kant in a classroom full of emancipated kids born in the 2000's? Riot I would assume. But dislike the bearded oldies as much as you want, fact remains that without boundaries we cannot actually choose and we all love choosing.

So, while there is no law that says we need to listen to bearded philosophers, there might be a small argument in stating that as we grapple with different ideas, we might start to acknowledge how pursuit of absolute independence at times can reject the very things that provide us with a sense of purpose and fulfilment.

An emptiness that cannot be filled by watching Tik Tok reels.

Sometimes we are so focused on breaking free that we forget to consider what we're freeing ourselves from. Maybe, the demand is not for freedom? Maybe the thing we we need to ask ourselves is “What do we really want with our freedom?”

The true answers might surprise many of us.

Human being often want connections, responsibilities, and a sense of belonging to feel a sense of fulfilment. They want to create, contribute, and be part of something larger than themselves.

In short, they want commitments. But on their terms.

This realisation can be transformative if we start to internalise it. We can begin to accept that commitment is not a constraint on our freedom, but a route to achieving it. By choosing to commit to relationships, projects, and causes that align with our values, we can sometimes find a sense of purpose and direction that may have been lacking in our lives.

This process however isn't easy. It requires facing fears of limitation and vulnerability. And acceptance. But if we can face those fears and embrace our chosen commitments carefully , we may discover a richer, more meaningful kind of freedom. A freedom rooted in the ability to building lasting relationships, working towards long-term goals, and being part of a community.

The freedom we truly desire may not be about the ability to do whatever we want, but about the power to choose our commitments wisely? About having the courage to say “yes” to the things that matter most to us, even if that means saying “no” to others?

Maybe commitment and freedom aren't opposites.

Maybe they're just complementary forces which, when balanced, lead to fulfilling lives. by giving us unlimited joy in the responsibilities we chose and the liberation we feel in our willingness to embrace them fully.

It is true that none of us want obligations in our life. However, it is equally true that some obligations force our hand and help us become the people we aspire to be. The trick lies in choosing the right obligation.

Life happens in that little space – where choice meets purpose – that's when we can truly spread our wings and fly.