Studying history was never my strong suit. Now, it seems, I can’t get enough of it. Edith Hamilton, the celebrated scholar of ancient Greece, once said. “Fundamental to everything the ancient Greeks achieved was their conviction that good for humanity was possible only if men were free - body, mind, and spirit - and if each man limited his own freedom. A good state or work of art or piece of thinking is possible only through the self-mastery of the free individual, self-government… Liberty depends on self-restraint.”
The founders here in the US were students of the ancients. One quote that resonates with this connection between Freedom and Control came from John Adams; “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is holy inadequate to the government of any other.”
It’s easy to see how the individual must always check the exercising of the full-throated freedoms of Natural Law. Natural Law being universal, non-man-made, binding, and immutable conditions that govern the consequences of behavior. Natural Law is a body of Universal Spiritual Laws which act as the governing dynamics of Consciousness.
So, we lose our freedom through anarchy if we do not show restraint. There is a kind of personal anarchy with which we all must all contend. By focusing on the basic human drive of Control, we can free ourselves from the personal tyranny of stagnation.
Here are a few items to help you gain more control and greater personal freedom.
Practice Premeditatio Malorum (“the pre-meditation of evils”), a Stoic exercise of imagining things that could go wrong. It helps us prepare for life’s inevitable setbacks and develop resilience in the face of uncertainty. We don’t always get what is rightfully ours, even if we’ve earned it. Not everything is as clean and straightforward as we think it may be. Psychologically, we must prepare ourselves for this to happen.
The Roman Stoic Philosopher Seneca wrote:
“What is quite unlooked for is more crushing in its effect, and unexpectedness adds to the weight of a disaster. This is a reason for ensuring that nothing ever takes us by surprise. We should project our thoughts ahead of us at every turn and have in mind every possible eventuality instead of only the usual course of events...
Rehearse them in your mind: exile, torture, war, shipwreck. All the terms of our human lot should be before our eyes.”
By doing this exercise, Seneca was always prepared for difficulty and prepared to meet any fate, which is a good thing--because nearly every single one of those things happened to him. And from what we know, he faced each with bravery, strength, and understanding—and always working that disruption into his plans. He was fitted for defeat or victory.
Don’t be fooled by disguises. Your troubles are brilliant opportunities disguised as impossible situations. Those who recognize these truths are experts at living above their circumstances. Our lives are a constant flow of problems punctuated by the occasional crisis. Today, look at your problems as a stack of dishes. Find the dirtiest, nastiest baked on burnt casserole dish and clean it up. Then set it up so that it doesn’t get all that baked-on cheese the next time you use it. Maybe use a little coating of olive oil. Finally, level up and get yourself a new nonstick casserole dish. When you have a problem, “Cleanup, Setup, Level up.” Framework Credit to Charly Caldwell.
Choose Joy. Smile on purpose. Regardless of how you are feeling, greet the next person you see with a smile and sincere pleasantry. Force it, if you must. Soon it will become heartfelt. Control your attitude. This one is not a trivial endeavor. Many of us have layers of cynicism that must be peeled back. But trust me on this one. Right now, pause, find one thing you are grateful for, and smile at your good fortune.
Find freedom through personal Control. Control yourself to safeguard your freedom.
Be well, dear reader.
