The Discipline of Freedom

Once we grasp the significance of subjectivity, it follows that the disciplined culture of freedom is the real key to progress and happiness. Having one’s own opinion is small consolation if one remains a fool.

Two fundamental errors appear at the outset of such a path. One is the chain of authority; the other is the illusion of freedom.

The familiar chain of authority comes in many forms. No received wisdom can stand without verification. Faith is not the acceptance of authority, but the belief that the truth that matters is within reach of human discovery. The authority of "science" must likewise be questioned; that which has been proved to the satisfaction of others is only hearsay, when encountered by a fresh investigator.

The illusion of freedom may be illustrated by the belief that all is relative, and that one opinion is as good as another; a notion that reflects an absence of standards. This is not freedom but chaos.

Standards that are not derived from authority must be discovered first-hand through self-observation. The fluctuations of one's own consciousness and behavior will make apparent a barometer or scale that is far more useful than any external comparison or judgment. One is capable of being a fool. One is also capable of being wise. All variations of one’s individual personality must be observed in all the variety of conditions and relationships.

Although all potentialities are ultimately the possession of every individual, only culture and discipline will decide which of those potentialities is developed.

It is useful to have both “inner” and “outer” goals. External activity provides food for the realization of inner values and goals. The latter in turn provide a creative core for the direction of the outer life.  

The recognition of the fundamental significance of subjectivity has two corollaries. The first is existential; in that the individual point of view is affirmed as the basis of any tentative judgment on any matter, and the starting point of any true investigation or experiment. Such a consideration, which acknowledges the regal character of the human being, may easily give rise to vanity or unrestrained egoism. The second corollary is that such a position also entails the highest responsibility for correcting one's own errors.

Even one who submits to a guru has judged in advance that this teacher is the one. The tentative acceptance of authority may serve the cause of freedom, but who will judge, if not the one who has submitted himself?

Consider the evidence, but never make the mistake of thinking “the evidence” leads to a conclusion. You have selected the evidence in the first place, and any conclusion, right or wrong, is based on an interpretation. You examine the evidence with your own predisposed bias, alert for confirmation, at the same time screening out whatever you are not ready to find. The absence of evidence may simply indicate that no effort has been made to attain it, or that the effort has followed the wrong direction.

Mistakes can be the most fruitful source of learning, when there is a willingness to recognize them and use them for this end. The mistakes of others may also be put to use. If one is severe toward oneself, one can be more lenient toward others.

The culture of freedom is for those who are ready for freedom. Those who are not ready will not tread this path.

It may not be possible to convince a dishonest human being that waterboarding is torture, but those who observe themselves honestly can easily recognize the distinction between abusive relationships and human decency, and encourage others in the same path. Observe the sophistry of reasoning that makes waterboarding acceptable. Such sophistry is the root of degeneracy.

The culture of freedom will also be the culture of sensitivity.