Friday, April 20, 2012

The Fear of Freedom

I believe it was Nelson Mandela that pointed out that we have to first realized we are imprisoned before we can free ourselves.

We oftentimes don't even realize how trapped we are in unconscious beliefs and filters, or how many of our daily actions are driven by a desire to avoid the raw intensity of the present moment.

I have noticed that not only stimulation like smoking, TV, internet/electronics, shopping, drugs and alcohol that distracts us from the experience of the moment and makes us less conscious, but also food choices make up an unconscious barrier between us and the moment.

Many people are familiar with the idea of emotional eating: eating driven by boredom or as a reaction to difficult emotions or to fill an energetic/emotional void. I have seen that the choices of what we consume as well plays into this pattern. Processed and animal foods block the most awareness, distract us from the moment the most deeply. Even cooked plant-based foods, especially sweets and starches, even whole-food ones stand as a buffer between us and our experience. Raw foods give us the least ability to avert our awareness from reality in each moment- it is a raw experience on all levels.

A prison can be comfortable if it is all we have known, and fear of the unknown, can also be a fear of success... Who will we become when we can't identify ourselves by our stress, drama, illness or disabilities any longer?

We are spirits, energetic beings, manifesting bodies. Bodies can seem burdensome and heavy and we crave lightness, freedom, expansiveness... But if the heaviness is all we have ever known, freedom can be overwhelming and scary. We can run away from real love, material success, and happiness in all forms due to this fear of our potential and the unknown. Even if this way of life causes sickness, misery, loneliness, negativity, suffering.. it is all I have ever known about living, so having to take responsibility and carve my own path is frightening.

When we see ourselves running away from a magnificent opportunity, from a new experience, from a loving relationship, we should check in with our motivations and investigate if it is truly the action in the best interest of all involved, for their short- + long-term health, happiness and growth, or if we are just afraid to free ourselves to move forward and embrace the incredible uncharted adventure of life lived fully.

No comments:

Post a Comment