Celebrating Freedom from Addiction
A hot summer day … A celebration with a picnic and fireworks … A lazy day at the beach … Visiting relatives or friends … Flags and national pride … These are images and symbols of American freedom evoked by our 4th of July holiday.
What Does Freedom Mean to You?
We each have our own personal images, traditions and beliefs we attach to concepts like this, that interweave the personal, societal and national into one of our “great” principles -- freedom, justice, truth, honor, and so on.
For too many, literal freedom isn’t a reality. Even in our modern day, constraints and oppression are heavy and incessant. For many of us though, we bar ourselves from enjoying our world freely, with joy.
So, what does freedom mean to you? Is it freedom from a job -- getting to take a break or a vacation? Is it freedom from financial worries? Freedom from the demands of others? Freedom from anxiety? Freedom of choice? Freedom to express oneself? Freedom from obligations or commitments? Freedom to do what you want? Freedom from a destructive cycle?
What, then, does that look like in real life?
Sometimes we end up doing things for ourselves that feel good or seem right, but that don’t really work. We may try being more assertive or more proactive, but find ourselves feeling combative without really accomplishing what we were going for. Or opening up a bigger can of worms than we bargained for.