True Freedom

 I turned 19 just a few days ago. It’s my last year of being a teenager, which means I’m just a step closer to death. Anyway, the thought of being 20 next year is like a slap in the face. To be honest, I don’t feel any difference from when I was 15. Generally, kids can’t wait to grow up and when I was a kid, the prospect of being an adult was so attractive. Children want to be adults because of the freedom grown-ups get to make choices. Kids don’t want to always be told what to do, and who would seriously want such a thing anyway? 

Yeah, adults make their own life decisions but does freedom really belong to them? What can be defined as true freedom?  Here’s the thing. Grown-ups seem to be making their own life choices, but actually they don’t. Most of them have to face a situation where they just don’t have any other options. And that’s the harsh reality about life. Some people get to have more chances because of them growing up in a wealthy house hold, or because they live in first-world nations. Meanwhile, those who grow up in poverty and those who live in developing countries have to struggle more.  

Anyway, this is perhaps part of the diversity God wants us to live in; fate. We all come from different backgrounds, have physical attributes of different color, and have a variety of personality. Regardless of how diverse we are, we are equal. However, society decides to regard a particular kind of diversity to be superior to the others. And that makes all the difference. We’re no longer equal. We live in a world where books are judged solely by their covers, where appearance matters more than the quality within. We live in a world where people strive to be what the media portrays as “perfect”.  And those who are wealthy have a better chance at achieving this vague “perfection”. 

Where one lives matters too. People who live in first world nations have a better chance at improving themselves. Meanwhile, it takes more than magic for people (especially the poor) in developing countries to even maintain a decent life-style, let alone altering it completely. I was given the blessing of living in a first world nation for a few years. There, I observed that it does not matter whether you’re poor or wealthy. Everyone is given equal basic rights. Everyone enjoys a fair healthcare, each kid receives proper education, and everyone can apply for college without having any fear of not being able to pay tuition. Such basic rights are crucial for a person who wants to develop for the better. People there have a wide selection of choices. If you have a talent for art, then go for it. There will be media provided for you to express yourself and appreciation will come to you as you deserve. Is art widely appreciated in developing countries? Not really, it is under-appreciated. 

Anyway, my point is those who live in developing countries have to struggle much more.  Does a child get to say where it wants to be brought up? I don’t think so. No child wants to grow up poor, no child chooses to work on the street when his/her friends are going to school, nobody wants to face war growing up, and no child asks to be brought up in a broken family. These people simply don’t have the options. All they can do now is to give their best to survive and hope for the best. It’s downright unfair. Blaming the government will get you nowhere and yelling to God for an answer will just give you none, unless you’re granted an epiphany to comprehend this matter from the Man above. 

However, despite all the difference fate brings, all of us human want the same thing out of this life. We all want happiness. Regardless where you’re from, what major you study, or what your profession is, you’re on the pursuit of discovering happiness, just like everyone else. You think you want to lose those 10 extra pounds of fat to get healthy, you think you want that latest pair of Air-Jordan to look cool, you think you want to be a doctor to help people in need. Now, when you achieve all those things, what do they bring you in the end? Getting healthy, looking better, and helping people, are all capable of bringing happiness to your life. Each thing leads you to the same destination, just with different paths. And each path has its own challenge. Here’s another harsh truth about life, even after you finally achieve your goal, you’ll find yourself wanting for more because things just never get enough. You’ll be aiming for something bigger and shinier. You’ll fish for more money, more superficial love, and more appreciation that will feed your ego into believing that you’re actually …happy. But of course, if you are wise such thing hopefully won’t happen. 

There is no such thing as true freedom in a fast-paced world. True freedom belongs to monks, nuns, and those who dedicate their life to nothing but God, their Creator. They leave behind all the superficial aspects of the world and decide to live in absolute simplicity by being in pure harmony with the universe, getting along peacefully with nature, and respecting their fellow humans regardless of who they are. Nothing really beats a powerful peace of mind.  

George Bernard Shaw is right when he says that youth are wasted on the young.  Now that I think about it, it makes me sad that children often associate adult with freedom. They just can’t wait to grow up.  In reality, children have way more freedom than grown-ups do. Teenagers also strive to be adults, which is unfortunate.

Children, as well as young people need to be taught that true freedom is found in simplicity. Wealth, appearance, and status will only create temporary satisfaction. They need to know that what matters the most is to be genuinely content and to be at peace with themselves.