I

March 4th

AWARENESS IS FREEDOM

“The person is free who lives as they wish, neither compelled, nor

hindered, nor limited—whose choices aren’t hampered, whose

desires succeed, and who don’t fall into what repels them. Who

wishes to live in deception—tripped up, mistaken, undisciplined,

complaining, in a rut? No one. These are base people who don’t

live as they wish; and so, no base person is free.”

—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.1.1–3a

t is sad to consider how much time many people spend in the course of a
day doing things they “have” to do—not necessary obligations like work
or family, but the obligations we needlessly accept out of vanity or
ignorance. Consider the actions we take in order to impress other people or
the lengths we’ll go to fulfill urges or sate desires we don’t even question.
In one of his famous letters, Seneca observes how often powerful people are
slaves to their money, to their positions, to their mistresses, even—as was
legal in Rome—to their slaves. “No slavery is more disgraceful,” he
quipped, “than one which is self-imposed.”
We see this slavery all the time—a codependent person who can’t help
but clean up after a dysfunctional friend, a boss who micromanages
employees and sweats every penny. The countless causes, events, and get-
togethers we’re too busy to attend but agree to anyway.
Take an inventory of your obligations from time to time. How many of
these are self-imposed? How many of them are truly necessary? Are you as
free as you think?