Today I was thinking about the difference between being liberal and being liberated. Intense concepts to tackle this early in the morning, but seriously I had nothing better to do so my mind simply wandered off. Thus, I came to the following conclusion: liberalism is a belief system, a philosophy and a political view. Liberated, on the other hand, is a life style. Aren’t they in a way synonymous, you might ask? My answer is no.
A liberal view of life refers to what you believe in in terms of norms and values; the anti-conservative. That doesn’t necessarily mean you strictly abide by said rules and values in your everyday life. After all, fear can be a particularly strong emotion, and conformity a desirable uncomplicated goal. Liberation, however, is for the strong of heart and will, the fearless and the visionary. For one to become liberated he/she has to have the courage to say fuck you.
Fuck you to personal fears, fuck you to political oppression and fuck you to societal expectations. By stripping away all that is not yours; all that which you don’t believe in, and therefore deem unnecessary, only then will you become liberated.
“Freedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose. Anything less is a form of slavery.” – Wayne Dyer
It seems simple enough to claim not to give a damn about all which was stated above. However the reality is, in fact, not simple at all. Because in order to unshackle yourself from the oppressive forces which are dictating your life, you have to have a goal of what you will do once they are gone and how. Otherwise, you will find that you are enslaved by an even stronger force: uncertainty.
To those who wish to be liberated I say; do that which scares you until it scares you no more. Draw the path you wish to lead, and follow it no matter the consequences. And know that this life will only come once, so make the most of it because for some it is much shorter than for others.
An Artist at Heart 