With all the spiritual writers
and all the wisdom traditions and faith, Iam saying that true freedom is not
freedom of the ego but freedom from the ego. Personal freedom is often thought
of as freedom of the ego to do whatever one’s selfishness dictates. But what we
are talking about here is freedom from the ego, from the tyranny of
selfishness.
Freedom of the ego is the
freedom to exploit, kill, victimize, marginalize, or just ignore others when it
is for my benefit or the benefit of my group. On the other hand, freedom from
my ego is freedom to love, serve, and care for others, unhindered by my own
hang-ups, obsessions, and selfishness. It is the freedom to pursue the common
good. This is, of course, easier said than done. It is a great ideal, but how
practical is it?
Freedom from one’s ego
obviously takes time. Short-term measures like law enforcement and moral laws
are needed, but there will be no lasting peace until we set out on this course
of personal liberation. Nor is it something that goes against our nature as
human beings. All human beings want to love and be loved, to have inner freedom
and peace.
Prepared by:
Frt. BikolwaMungu A, Stephen
(Archdiocese of Mwanza)
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