We have the freedom to flow as freely as this stream ...
The minute you become dependent on anyone in any way, you no longer have any power to move forward in your own pattern, in your own blueprint and on your own behalf. You come to a halt. Gregge Tiffen (Feeding Freedom: The Meaning of Independence Day July, 2007)
I believe that our founding fathers and the mothers who worked as diligently in support of independence understood independence in a way that is lost in our current culture. Today we live in a society and systems that rely on dependence and the control that dependence brings forth. We are poorer in terms of our overall well-being and consciousness as a result.
Who among us has not felt a deep sense to make a particular decision or take a particular action, then held back from that choice? My own list of not following the path that I knew inside was most true to me and my blueprint includes staying in jobs, keeping clients, maintaining relationships well beyond the time that they provided me the ability to express my unique self.
From where I live now in life, I see the patterns of dependence: on money, on approval, on security, on being cared for (or so I rationalized), on what others think, even on having others depend on me. You can probably enrich these with your own life experiences. And, lest you think that I’ve become a saint, I still experience living independently as challenging.
Just as those who created the United States faced enormous challenges and threats in declaring independence, it takes courage to declare personal independence in today’s world. And, just as the United States has experienced many bumps along the road to living fully into our 1776 declaration, it takes courage – the strength of our convictions, if you will – to live into the largeness of the personal independence that is truly ours. That independence is the law of the Universe and we ignore it at our peril.
Courage is required to look honestly at how we live life and to recognize and be willing to name the web of dependence that we’ve created, individually and collectively. And yet, perhaps only when we’ve done so may we be truly free. Just as the signers of the Declaration of Independence articulated their grievances against the King, we too need to look to what we’ve allowed to impinge upon our personal, individual independence and freedom to think, make decisions, and act in the ways that are unique to each of us.
As you make choices this week, notice those that are true, authentic expressions of you. Celebrate yourself! Notice as well those that are not and ask: From what dependency would a declaration of my personal independence serve me?
... And, to fly joyfully through life. The choice is ours and ours alone.