One on re-writing the definition of "freedom"

Short but spicy one today 🌶  A single question that changed my life.

A year ago I packed my whole life into a little bag and got a one way ticket to Nepal.

Absolute freedom, I thought – until a series of synchronicities lead me to live in an Ashram (temple) in India, where I saw my beloved backpack as nothing else but a cute reminder of my earthy attachments.

Unfortunately, freedom doesn't fit in a bag or waits for you at the other side of the world.

A poignant moment: my Swami (teacher) walks into the Satsang room after the morning meditation. He’s wearing his orange robe, his face was as serene as ever. His lips were slightly curled on each side, as if he was smiling with his mind.

Silence.

Post-meditation trance.

He asked the class:

"What is freedom?"

He waited for an answer, but none of my 42 "classmates" said anything. You could tell from his face that he was expecting this introspective silence.

Internal monologue: Freedom = travel.

He laughed as if he read my mind.

"Most of you are probably thinking that freedom is traveling the world with a backpack and working from your laptop."

A deeper wave of silence hits. The type of silence not even words can break.

He laughed again and said:

"Freedom is freedom of thought."

Freedom of the mind. What a world we live in; the one thing we worship the most is our biggest obstacle towards freedom.

So the mission to rewrite my definition of freedom began after this thought pierced my entire being:

Am I the mind, or am I something else?

New internal monologue loading.

But here’s a quick download while it loads: the greatest way to embody pure freedom is by learning how to trust your true Self over mind and ego.

That something else.

I call it the Self: call it intuition, spirit, higher self, divine nature, the universe, god? Whatever transcends thought.

This mysterious thing is the compass of your life, and learning how to tune it will point you towards your path – the one that takes you to your vision.

And for me, that is freedom: choosing to walk your path.

To live your life knowing that as long as you trust your inner compass, that path will always reveal itself to you.