- "I want freedom for the full expression of my personality."
- - Mahatma Gandhi
Everybody wants to be free. Freedom is touted as the most basic of human rights. The commonly understood definitions of freedom are "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint"1 or "the power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity."2 Yet, by the very definitions, none of us are truly free. We mistakenly limit freedom to a very narrow range of experience.
A child's view of freedom is to be free from the direction of parents, teachers, and other people of authority. Even when we become adults, we often cling to the same narrow definition: freedom from coercion of others. But there is a much greater freedom that most of us have never even considered: freedom to choose how to react to every stimulus.
Our power of self-determination is mostly at the whim of circumstances which we mistakenly believe we have no control over. Every stimulus that we encounter generates a response that is more often beyond our control than within the guidance of our wisdom.
The stimulus/response mechanism is easy for us to understand at a basic level. When we put our hand on a hot stove and automatically pull away, the stimulus of extreme heat creates an automatic response that protects us from being burned. We can't imagine being able to leave our hand on the stove or even why anyone would want to. The stimulus of hunger drives us to eat, pain makes us pull away, and something we find attractive drives us to pursue it. For the most part, we have no choice but to react. We are usually not even aware that choice is possible.
Some stimulus/response mechanisms are clearly advantageous. Without these mechanisms we would end up injured or dead, but those are the minority of circumstances. Most cases are typically our habitual reactions to things like bumper stickers and other "triggers." We react the way we have trained ourselves to react, without thought or wisdom. Even while responding in the same old way, we know we could behave differently or produce a better outcome, but we react out of habit instead. We often react to the stimulus of our thoughts in ways that are harmful to ourselves and others. True freedom is to have the choice to react to all stimuli based on our insight and wisdom instead of automatic responses.
If you think that you are free to choose how to react, go without eating for a day. The stimulus of hunger will become your main focus. By the end of the day you will be unable to think of anything but food and will think you are going to die unless you eat right away. Although the stimulus of hunger is necessary and beneficial, it is completely false that you will die after such a short period of time. Most people can go for thirty-two days without food before they die. Almost all of us can go a day or so with no serious repercussions. Some would even say that we are better off periodically going without food for a day or more.
Fasting is a spiritual practice shared by most religions. Fasting means purposely going without food for an extended period of time such as a day, a week, or longer. Those of us who practice fasting have insight into how the stimulus of hunger works. We rapidly get to the point where that stimulus of hunger no longer controls our lives. Besides the clear health benefits, its deeper purpose is to help us gain insight into all of our desires and gain wisdom that leads to true freedom in all circumstances.
When you first begin to practice fasting, it is very difficult to make it through the day. So strong is the habit of responding to the stimulus of hunger that it is practically impossible to overcome it. With practice, though, it gets much easier. Those of us who practice fasting regularly, especially longer fasts, become free from the dictates of hunger and can work all day without losing focus on our work by the distraction of hunger.
The primary purpose of fasting is to teach us about freedom. By fasting, we learn that it is possible to overcome the stimulus/response mechanism and begin to let our wisdom guide our actions. There are many other approaches that help us to learn about freedom, but the important point is to understand the stimulus/response mechanism. Then we will begin to experience freedom from things that we previously thought impossible to change our reactions to.
With guidance, true freedom is attainable; but, until you get there it is beyond your wildest dreams. Mahatma Ghandi said that you are truly free when your wisdom guides every reaction, including those reactions you thought were impossible. He proved his point by having an appendix operation with no anesthetic. During the operation he held a conversation as if the stimulus of pain was not even there.3
Many people confuse such stories with the idea that he just blocked out the pain. Although there is partial truth to the idea, history is full of people who say that they felt the pain just as much or more; but, their wisdom allowed them to control how they reacted to it. In Ghandi's case, he knew the pain was for his benefit and that the wise thing to do was to not pull away. He also had the wisdom to pull away when touching a hot stove.
If Ghandi was free to choose how to react to the stimulus of pain, why do we allow ourselves to be controlled by what other people say or the countless circumstances that influence our behavior? Once we start practicing freedom and gaining wisdom, we find the ability to control our reactions to every condition we experience in life. Bipolar In Order means to be free to react with wisdom to even the deepest depression or strongest stimulus of mania.
It may sound impossible to achieve the level of freedom that I am talking about, but that does not make it so. We have it within ourselves to gain freedom from simple things and, over time, expand that freedom to areas beyond our original limitations. Eventually, we could attain the level of control Ghandi and many others have shown us is possible. Even if we do not take it that far, we can enjoy a level of freedom that surpasses what we thought possible. Our wisdom guided actions will change how we relate to others and the world at large.
Those who have achieved true freedom have all said that it is within everyone's grasp. Who are we to believe--the naysayers who have not made the effort, or those of us who have direct experience of freedom and its effect on our lives? We may all be born with the right to be free, but in most circumstances that freedom is something that we must earn.
True freedom means to be able to choose the right way to respond to every stimulus, including depression, mania, hallucinatory, and delusional states. No longer controlled by our condition, our thoughts and actions are guided by our wisdom rather than being slaves to circumstance, habit, and low expectations.
The sections on What Is In Our Way and How to Get There will go into greater detail on how to achieve true freedom. For now, exposure to the idea is enough. You can begin by accepting that a greater freedom is possible even if you must put some limits on its full achievement.
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