Really don’t understand the meaning of freedom.
What is real freedom?
My friend says his idea of a truly free guy is Jim Morrison –the rock idol who died at the age of 27, because he lived his life solely on his own terms.Well well well, after studying about him ,I learnt that Jim lived his life as a vagabond, achieved phenomenal star status at a very young age, was addicted to substance abuse, drugs, alcohol and survived a fate of several short-term affairs.
Going through the lives of celebrities right from Marylin Monroe to Parveen Babi to Jim Morrison to Gurudutt, I realize that all of them lead surrealistic lives, were doped, had lost sense of reality and ended up commiting suicide or isolating themselves from the world.It is said ,with freedom comes responsibility.So were these icons really free or were they utterly irresponsible?
I then turn to spirituality.
Now I’m on a different plane altogether.Somebody other day said spirituality is simply escape from reality .I beg to differ.So tell me isn’t getting doped, or isn’t stardom or fame- escapism from reality?Spirituality says everything exists within you, there is nothing external.A self realized soul is neutral in all circumstances and is free from all desires.
Then comes the normal man who believes in compromise.He is absolutely careful about what job he takes up, the color of his tie, the woman he marries and the school his kids go to.He is bound by the norms of the society and contantly struggles to maintain a fine balance between his personal view-points and the society pressures and often succumbs to the latter.
SO ULTIMATELY WHO IS TRULY FREE?
IS IT THE ROCKSTAR WHO GIVES A CARE TO THE SOCIETY,HAS 10 AFFAIRS AND 20 MARRAIGES, AND DOPES HIS WAY TO DEATH, OR IS IT THE SEER WHO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRES TO ACHIEVE MATERIALISTIC PLEASURES OR IS IT THE COMMON MAN WHO IS TIED BY THE GENERAL DO'S AND DON'T ?
-Priya Saraiya.
