I just want to be free.  I want to be free to do whatever I want, wake up when I want, eat what I want.  As long as I do not actively harm those around me, I should be able to choose the path to take without someone else’s interference.  I want to keep the fruits of my labor, and to share or trade with my property as I please, in ways that I find most effective.  I maintain that this is the supreme state for the individual.

We all want this, we all want freedom, no?.  To do whatever we want, whenever we want.  However, is this really freedom?  Will this really bring happiness?  Does living in a world without rules really bring happiness?  Isn’t it better to live in a well-regulated environment?  Well, as is frequently the case, I think the answer is “it depends.”  It depends on the source of a person’s structure, internal or external.  Where does your structure, your regulation come from?  Is it an external or internal source?

With any structure there is great freedom.  A prisoner is relieved of many burdens when his schedule is laid out for him.   0630 Wake Up, 0700 Eat, 0730 shower, 2200 lights out, etc.  No weapons, no cell phones, 1 phone call per day…follow the rules.  You must wear the orange suit…follow the rules.  The prisoner is relieved of the burden of responsibility through a highly structured environment.  His structure was decided by someone else:  the prisoner is not really free, is he?  A child has great freedom because she does not have to worry about what rules are correct, and which rules are not.  All the child has to do is follow the rules, and she is relieved of the burden of judgment.  When she is given a template to follow, and follows it then the results are fairly predictable.  There is freedom in structure, but is this really freedom?

The inevitable question to ask myself is, “Do I want to be a child or a prisoner forever?”  In other words, do I want someone else to make the rules for me, or can I discover my own structure?  Where would I find this structure?  I will propose that you can have freedom from an outside influence and structure…as long as you maintain your philosophy.

Through philosophy, in my case a Stoic one, I can regulate myself.  In essence, I can self-govern.  In regulation, there is freedom.  In self-regulation, there is transcendence, maturity, and happiness…you become a fully virtuous human being.  When you let someone else govern you, it feels safe and secure, but you won’t be happy and you are not truly virtuous.  To be truly happy, you must self-govern.

So, to summarize:

1. Our ultimate aim is happiness.
2. Happiness can only be had when we are truly free.
3. To be truly free, our lives must be governed…we must follow certain rules.
4. To be truly free, to be a man or woman in full (a nod to Tom Wolfe below), you must govern yourself through your philosophy.

I think that sums it up.  What do you think?