Freedom Incorporated. Freedom Is An Asset.

I want to keep politics out of it. Then again, the late George Michael sang about it, as well as John Farnham. I am sure Prince would have loved to have sung about it, if that singer was given the chance to. In saying that, freedom is also about sharing a song to do with your favourite colour. Once again, I will keep politics/direct policies out of this article; yet the main image is designed to document history for our future generations. In the spirit of Vocal Media's generosity with the launch of The Moment Of Freedom challenge, combined with the generosity of human beings in a time of crisis; solidarity, boycotting and other measures are in tact, because let's face it...being free is so fricking important. The last two years have painted many pictures (the good, the bad, and the downright ugly) in order to awaken those that needed to be shaken to the core, and to not allow us to hide under any rocks any longer.

It would be insulting if yours truly failed to ignore this challenge, and not delicately and gently show my support to the country who has a leader that is showing all of those leaders out there what true leadership really is. You know who I am talking about, and his title beings with a P...even though he has proven to be a jack of all trades, and a true champion of freedom to all of us, irrespective as to where on earth any of us live right now; even if our country does not begin with the letter U. It goes to show that no matter what your background is, and what language you speak; freedom is a standout asset for all of us, and if the unfolding of world events over the last couple of years (as at the time of writing this) has given us some true street smart education...it is this: freedom must never be taken for granted.

It even boils down to the simple things. Again, not to be political, yet never before have healthy people (only those deemed the complete opposite) been asked to isolate when unwell. When we all had to stay at home; going out for a cappuccino was sorely missed, yet alone shopping for clothing in a store, as well as seeing friends was an impossible task, depending on your locale. Whatever means freedom to you. If we are forced to do something against our will, then our freedom will be taken away. It is worth the price (both fiscally and otherwise) in advocating for it, and in enjoying it. The unfolding of life's events worldwide have woken humanity up in questioning the status quo, and in awakening. Part of that awakening is realising that we do not need much to live on, and for some, quitting their once high paying jobs in the pursuit of freedom has been a worthy proposition, and one filled with the least amount of regret as possible, apart from missing that fat bank account balance. The funny thing about life, is that the universe definitely abhors a vacuum. When you clear the slate, and allow some time and space to be free, then you will be free. What you focus on, is what you ultimately attract.

It brings me back to my first ever personal development boot camp experience called Life Design back in 2006. It was all about learning to become free, and to escape the rat race, even if you wish to hold onto your full-time job. In such programs you quickly grasp the concept that you are free to do whatever the hell you want within the law, and investing to generate passive income was a key takeaway from that. Each participant was put into a team in this week-long experience, and each team had to come up with a name. Yours truly was part of the "Infinite Freedom" team. So elegant and fitting to the goals we wanted to accomplish out of that experience.

Anything can happen in life. People can mix with the wrong crowd and end up incarcerated. Healthy people can suddenly fall into an accident and wind up in hospital. In such circumstances (in other words, institutionalised) it begs to ask a quality question, even though your environment makes it a challenge at that point in time. Although my freedom is taken away in such circumstances...but how can I be free right now? Freedom also begins with a thought, and a solid game plan to clean up your life for the better, and reflect on the circumstances that brought you into a restrictive circumstance in the first place. There is a documentary recently released in Australia called Australia Behind Bars, and the majority of prison inmates interviewed say that they are looking forward to the day they are released, and with a solid game plan by participating in the positive elements of jail life; they are less likely to reoffend, and therefore are less likely to have their freedoms taken away from them once more.

Freedom is a lovely word. Abundance is another favourite word of mine in the English language, together with gratitude and thank you. They all relate to being free. My appreciation of being free, and living in a free country (COVID-19 restrictions aside) has been strengthened in writing this piece in solidarity for the people of Ukraine at this difficult time. The world as we know it is changing. You may have heard a meme or two out there that there will be more changes in the world in the next 10 years, in comparison to what has taken place in the last 100 years. Needless to say, significant history has been made in the last century in protecting and preserving our freedoms, with the world wars being one of them in some developing countries, as well as the declaration of independence day on America's Birthday; the 4th of July.

When all is said and done, both you and I can agree that freedom means different things to different people. Many people relish in the joy of having enough income and savings to live off, without needing to work very much, or not at all. For another person, it could mean travelling the globe, and then again for someone else, having an abundance of quality friendships and support systems is enough to allow someone to feel free.

This begs another quality question that allows the mind some ample thinking and reflection time: how can you feel free right now? On the contrary, someone who is confined to their home or a jail cell to name can feel freer than someone who is fully mobile and able to move. Not only does it depend on your pain threshold and happiness quotient; it also depends on how you think. In addition to living in a war torn country right now; you could be experiencing the most dire of consequence where you need some time to grieve - in other words, to go through those five stages of grieving some form of a loss, all of which can come back to a loss of some form of freedom, and/or of a loving person who has crossed the rainbow bridge, of who feels like your company should be called freedom incorporated.

Martin Luther King Jr was an advocate for freedom, and took a stand. Many American's care to remember the I Have A Dream Speech in 1963 that was all about freedom, and on what people need in order to begin to take a strong stand on - not only for America's solidarity; but also for the freedom of the nation, and for every single citizen to be engaged in worthy employment, of which provides for their freedom, as well as being free from racist jokes and the like. Yes, being teased and picked on (even though the simple stuff, and the sticks-and-stones-break-your-bones meme may work) is also a threat to an individuals freedom, and choice to choose.

Circumstances change, and life changes. Even the laws that dictate the rules of the land also chop and change. This is why an individuals values around freedom is in a constant state of flux. Just being alive and well in a war torn country is a tell-tale sign that things must never be taken at face value, or for granted, as the cheese is moved, and there are so many moving parts to our freedom; and this is something that we need to be as alert as a night owl about. Otherwise that once loved and cherished freedom can quickly slip through our fingers. The recent situation with both countries beginning with an U and a R just (really, and honestly) goes to show that we can never take things for granted. We are all connected, and in a way the events unfolding in such countries is testament, all the knowing that the freedoms of the world is ever so vulnerable. Members from one country may vent that they cannot do X and Y, while there are people dying in another country as a result of such an unexpected catastrophe. It all puts things into true perspective.

Such freedom altering circumstances (almost too many to count over the last couple of years) really goes to show that us human beings really do not need much in order to live a stellar life, even though problems and challenges are a pivotal part of such. In terms of a solution mentality (then again the great Einstein quoted that problems cannot be solved with the same level of thinking that created them); this means that we can participate in protests, as well as join in on global meditations for peace and prosperity for all. Now is a good time to begin to pay cash again for things where possible. The more people put their hand up for their freedom, then the more control we have as people. If we surrender control to our Governments, then that is going to put our freedoms at threat. This is not a conspiracy theory. This is real life right now, especially with the uptake of protests...another way where people are self advocating for their freedoms to stay in such strange and interesting times. Let's not forget that. The control is also within our power to choose happiness and freedoms in our own minds. Be informed, but not inundated. Prayers still go out to those in that country beginning with U. Many countries are on your side. See this as a great awakening for our freedoms, for what it is worth.