In the Name of God
Subject: Commemorating World Freedom Day
Greetings and Blessings,
We hereby salute all the free thinkers of the world on the World Freedom Day and honor this day.
Freedom has perhaps been one of the most widely circulated words in human thought and language since mankind got to know oneself, pursuing it here and there, and always dreaming of achieving it without knowing its exact meaning. In fact, humanity carries a broken image of freedom in mind, very far from what is truly embedded in it. The concept of freedom has taken the lives of millions of people throughout history and has sent many to the cemeteries. But an important question lingers here, freedom and liberation to what?
In response, it can be said that every human being, in nature, wants to be free in the absolute sense of the word, literally meaning to do whatever one wishes to. However, this principle in human nature is designed as if there exists only one human being (because human nature is replicated from the one Adam, the successor of God who was granted all that we recognize in God’s power, except that God is in the world of Truth and Adam is in the world of Majaz). Therefore, God is one, and Adam is also one. God is in oneness, unity, and singularity, in the world of Truth, and so is Adam, in the world of Majaz (from the infinite to the infinities of the Majaz/Virtual worlds). But the unique experiencer and inheritor of divine knowledge has stepped into a bi-polar world, here, to experience everything in bi-polarity. In other words, absolute freedom may not be realized in this bi-polar world. If one, alone, and lonely on earth, then human being would be free to do whatsoever, to the point of self and surrounding’s annihilation and destruction. In other words, absolute freedom for humankind could be realized with only one human being on the planet. In that case, total freedom were achievable. But as soon as another human being appears on earth, this freedom is overshadowed and the principle of “freedom confrontation” arises, even if each person is located in a different corner of the globe. Because one of the freedoms an individual could enjoy was the freedom to destroy the environment and ultimately the earth (assuming the ability to do so), as one individual could exercise this right of freedom and destroy both oneself and the earth. But as soon as another human being lived on earth, both of them were deprived of this right to freedom, and neither of them had the right to destroy or harm the environment without the permission of the other, because the right of the other person would be denied. And also, by generalizing this case, it could be easily and clearly inferred that there is no absolute freedom of action in this situation. Because the freedom of an individual can be equal to disturbing the other one, taking away the freedom of the next person and vice versa. This is true of the entire material universe or the cosmos because we do not have any independent particle or wave (with respect to the frequency-based realm and the non-frequency-based realm) that can exist freely regardless of the law of Connection (also the law of Correlation and Interconnectedness), and everything is obligated by something else, while everything is support for something else, and so on. Therefore, considering that billions of people live on this planet and also based on the principle of “freedom confrontation”, we can conclude:
“Freedom is relative and conditional.”
In other words, people have taken it at face value that one has self-autonomy, or my house my rules. Whereas the law of Connection maintains that everything in this existence is interconnected, and everything is affected by one another, and there is nothing independent in the universe, especially humans, who are influenced by each other, both internally and externally. If a person fights with their family members at home, as if my house my rules, then a large number of people who come into contact with this person and that family will be negatively affected, directly and indirectly, by that fight. Or if someone consumes drugs, alcohol etc. at home, the whole society will be affected by this action, whether like it or not, the efficiency of the society and ultimately the world will be reduced, and the problems of those individuals will be transmitted to others. If there are people who are hungry in a society, if there is an unfair distribution of wealth in a society (as there is), if human societies are sorrowful (as they are), and thousands of other ifs, the negative effects will be transmitted to all human beings, and in the end, it will be observed that the number of crimes and social disorders has increased, and the resulting insecurity has plagued everyone, keeping all human beings away from the feeling of happiness. In all these cases, and perhaps in many of these rapports, apparently no one’s freedom has been violated, and by way of explanation, other people have used their right to freedom by using drugs or so. But in principle, by smoking even a single cigarette, the earth and people have been maltreated and freedom has been abused.
In other words, the day when humanity realizes one’s existential philosophy, from then on, the concept of freedom will be completely altered for them, and as a result, human being will not allow oneself to sacrifice the benefits of existence-in-unity for one’s false freedom, which acts exactly against existence, as with such freedom, many elevated goals are endangered. Thus:
- The concept of freedom has various implications according to the level of human understanding, awareness, and consciousness. It is an evolving and ever-growing matter that passes through the path of perfection in itself, and with the spiritual advancement of humanity, this concept becomes more complete. That will mean “freedom with conditions”, and those conditions will indicate human elevation, just contrary to what many people assume. That freedom can have different cultural, social, political, economic and other dimensions. (For example, in the past, a king had the freedom to behead anyone he desired, and the people recognized this as his right to freedom. Or in economy, a person is free to buy and store goods and sell them later at a higher price by so-called hoarding, or in the cultural field, a person is free to expose oneself naked to the public. Or in politics, a candidate is free to obtain people’s votes by any means, and take the desired position by making promises, throwing parties, or direct purchase of votes…) However, with the passage of time and the apparent growth in human relations, the limits of this freedom have changed; as in the past, there was no such thing as the people’s votes, but today, even on the surface, the term popular vote is forcibly uttered by politicians, many of whom do not believe in it at all and consider elections to be against their survival.
Hence, freedom would be defined as “the principle of harnessing adverse factors for the physical and spiritual survival of humanity” and this definition is not at all compatible with what is known by human beings. For instance, we often hear about free-thinking, freedom-seeking, and…. These ideals, in fact, according to the aforementioned definitions, mean fighting against what is enslaving human beings and may entrap them in various ways. This sublime movement is directable against authoritarian regimes who have deprived human beings of their natural rights, national wealths, and… Therefore:
- Freedom is not possible without harnessing adverse factors, and in fact, “freedom means to harness.” That is to say, if we harness ourselves, we are free. Otherwise, our freedom will be a plight upon our lives, ultimately dragging us into the abyss of destruction, just like a ship that is free to sail in any direction in the ocean, but if it is not restrained, it will definitely run into rocks and obstacles. Although there are apparently no limits to the movement of a ship in any direction in the ocean, this is the rudder that gives meaning to the freedom of the ship and makes an identity for it. So that a ship without an identity and a clear sense of direction is doomed to crash into rocks and get caught in violent waves or thousands of other dangers. Therefore, freedom without identity and without determining where the bearer of freedom is heading to is destructive and disastrous. Thus:
- Freedom minus identity is destructive and not constructive.
Freedom is an art to be equipped with its usage. Therefore, it is necessary in the education systems to teach adolescents and young people how to use it. Some confuse freedom with unrestraint and assume that if they do whatever they desire, that means they are free and in freedom. They are the susceptible ones who also happen to be the tools of others, trapped in the orbit of improper goals, imagining that they are free, and after a while realizing that not only is there no freedom, but they are entangled in predicaments. Therefore:
- The art of using freedom can be instructed and it should be taught and learned.
The concept of freedom is dividable into two general meanings of outer and inner. So far, outer freedom has been discussed by briefly explaining external and social regulations and… But the important aspect of the concept of freedom lies in the realm of individual freedom and who a free person is.
In this regard, it should be said that individual freedom has a unique definition. According to this definition, a free person is the one who is not bound by any kind of addiction and is free from any dependence and captivity, and is unconditioned, and does not suffer any humiliation due to false earthly attachments and can continue one’s way on the path of elevation upright and freely. Because of these captivities, it is not possible to determine a lasting and stable identity, and at any moment, people who are not free and are bound by their addictions and earthly dependencies, must change their path to meet the needs caused by their addiction and lack of freedom. Therefore, such people turn into irritable and unstable human beings.
To be continued…
Mohammad Ali Taheri
The Founder of Erfan Keyhani Halgheh & Taheri Peace Organization
Toronto, November 9, 2024 / Aban 19, 1403
