Eadarian Network

Hello my friend,

Welcome to the 60th installment of The Creative Journey, the experience of one Charles Yerkes, Eadarian Poet, perpetuator, and otherwise mildly creative and excessively modest personage.

Freedom not Chaos
Part 2:

An interesting thing about Chaos is that it only ever arrives through the use of our freedom; or, more appropriately, the misuse of it. The greater and longer the misuse, the greater the chaos we generate. Which is perhaps one of the greatest tragedies known to mankind, the loosing of one’s freedom to his own despotic self.

Who has not known of the one who has surrendered the freedom of rising above their situation to the escape and misery of the bottle? The freedom of growing in relationships to the justifications for explosive anger? The freedom of laughter to the bitterness of self-pity? This blog is not addressing the reasons, or situations that led us to the point of making these choices, to drink excessively, to always be very angry and bear grudges, or to wallow in self pity. It is addressing that the choosing of these is the choosing of chaos and not freedom.

Freedom only comes when we refuse to hide behind such things as the bottle, anger, and pity. This is not the easy way for no defensive walls are put up. Indeed, it is only when we are purposeful and very non-arbitrary in resolving whatever situation we are in, that the strength of freedom, the joy of freedom is earned and known.

The human being is an incredibly complicated critter. And so, before the big and apparent chaotic behaviors (like those listed above) arrive on the scene, there are many smaller occurrences of chaos that have arrived and these have built into the complex ones. And most great truths can be simply applied to all aspects of our lives, if we let them.

So let’s look at some of the smaller ways chaos enters our lives and by which freedom, while not completely dying, is stolen from us bit by bit. Sort of like the frog, when the temperature is gradually turned up on the pot of water he is sitting in, will not feel the temperature change, but will boil to death before he knows what is happening.

As the complex humans we are, we can hold many contradictory views, at the same time, and hold each as fact. Confusing? Yes and, since confusion is not Confucius, it is is a pathway to chaos. And yes, if we are honest with ourselves, most of us hold at least one set of these conflicting ideas.

Some such sets of simple contradictions are as follows: we want to get ahead at work and yet while at work, we want to sit around doing as little as possible, talking, playing games, or texting friends. We want to get ahead, the pay raise, the promotion, and we want to do all the things that lead to us not getting ahead. We want more money and more hours at work to get it, yet we also demand more time off. Or perhaps we want more friends, more social interactions, yet we also want others to show an interest in us first. Or, we want everyone to be courteous to us on the road, yet we feel no desire to give consideration to others while we drive.

I can see you shaking your head and saying, “Ok, now you are just being silly.”

Simple yes, silly… not.

I forget who said this, and if anyone can help with that please let me know for I’d love to give credit where credit is due, but it is said, “You can tell the most about a people by how the handle the little things.” For how you handle the little things will tell/show how you will handle the big things. And there are no approved shortcuts.

So the question is, are we responsible enough to choose the use of purposeful, voluntary, and independent self-decision to handle the little things of life well? To be non-arbitrary or non-despotic in pursuing our dreams, careers, relationships, and growing maturity? That I leave for you to decide. Be honest with your self; you might as well for you cannot trick chaos into being freedom. Chaos is chaos and it always will be. And experiencing the strength of integrity that freedom well lived brings should be missed by no one.

Grow well my friend,

Grow into your freedom well.

Charles Yerkes
Eadarian Poet, Perpetuator, Photographer, and Fiddle Player

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If you liked this blog entry, check out the shirt designs that support it. Just click here for design ‘Freedom not Chaos’, and here for design ‘Strong Enough to be Free’, at our cafepress store.

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To choose a past installment(s) of The Creative Journey click here. To view a Quote of the Week, click here.

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