Yesterday, after a very long time I used the concept of ‘Freedom Square’. And even though I anticipated the outcomes, It still took me by surprise, how quickly it created safety, courage, and trust amongst the people. Many people spoke of things and in a way that they had not uptill now. Made asks of each other that were clear and bold. Sai thing that were personal, spoke on their own violation. Even people who in the previous sessions had to be “gently coaxed – spoke.
Freedom Square is a construct that has been used over many years ,often in tribes an communities to create just that, a Safe place to speak the truth. Uninhibited. To own and exercise ones power of expression and speech.
It is a “space” that is designed and has some rules. And needs atleast One Space holder. This person is then then responsible for the container. It looks simple, but unless one in grounded in the tenets it fails to deliver.
Frame – It has 3 simples rules
- Time boundary : Anyone can come to the front, take the mic and speak about anything for ‘3 minutes’ only.
- Task boundary: No one is allowed to comment, reply or engage in a conversation. No one need to ‘Voluntary’ somebody else. Anyone can come on their own for as many times. But you can only speak for 3 minutes, and extended if needed for another round of 3 , and only one extension of time is allowed at a time.
Tenets – It is rooted on some
- Freedom is free when there are Boundaries.
- Everyone has something to say, that they feel yet not safe to speak
- What is not expressed cannot fully be experienced.
- Time boundary, creates a need to speak only the essential and most important.
- Not having the need to defend or respond allows more expression.
- Anyone who hold and has the mic, has the power
- Within the Square – Nobody is above the “3 minutes” law.
For me this was Sacred work holding this space – Where freedom found a space.
As I reflected , It has taken me many years to be able to do this, what seems “so simple”.
Freedom, for me has been a central quest, all my life. And people in life also have given me that feedback. It is an important aspect for everyone.
Definition : Freedom, generally, is having the ability to act or change without constraint. Something is “free” if it can change easily and is not constrained in its present state.
Often there are atleast two paths leading to the Quest.
- When you have had it and it is taken away
- When you are repressed for long and then there is a need to be free.
Mine was the first one.
Growing up as young as age 5, I had the freedom to make most of my everyday decision. From eating when I wanted to even going to school or not. I remember sometime when I asked my grandma, its ‘time to eat’. She would point to the clock and ask who has a stomach , clock or you. Me. So ask your stomach. My stomach and I from then on often have been on good terms. I don’t generally use is to dump, my greed, upsets etc. When it I Upset, I have to listen to it.
Or when someday I did not feel like going to school and I asked her. She said, its up to you. And then she would also lay out both scenarios. If you go, this will happen. If you don’t go there are 2-3 scenarios including being asked to stand outside the class. ‘Your decision”. He would absolutely refuses to make my decisions for me. Some day when I have not gone, I have been made to stand outside the class. But in my mind it was never a bad thing or a punishment, eve though that was the word used. It was simply a consequence of my choice, which I already knew. I did not feel shame or guilt. Infact I remember, for years I did not know what the word punishment really meant as an emotional inside experience.
And so, when later, some of these simple choices were forced, including eating because its’ I naturally did not take it well. I spoke my mind often. And there were consequences. And it was ok.
Freedom is sicu a central experience. All the way from Moses leading people to slavery to free promised land to freedom of free speech today. It’s a constant.
And yet, freedom is not free.
My own journey of freedom has evolved over the years.
It also became an conversation, when I experienced it missing. Before that it was not even a word for me till I was 9. After which I had to move into an flat with my parent and siblings.
I remember the utter feeling of claustrophobia, when I I was take away from my garden, and trees and loft to a place when My toes could not dig into the mud. Where there were no trees, no plants, no birds. Where the doors were automatically shut the whole day I was not at all used to this. For the first 9 years, in my grandma house the door open at 5am and only shut at 11 pm, rest there used to be white netted curtain. People would walk in and walk out. And I felt such deep sense of alienation and regret and anger at being “uprooted”. I remember it was a grey building with a long common corridor and rods in front with vehicles. I remember feeling quite frightened with all this chaos. And a deep deep longing for freedom. I felt like a caged bird. I think I may have experienced depression back them I was withdrew into my shell.
My imagination then became my way out. My secret path to freedom. And I went from outside to inside.
Freedom has over the years changed in definition for me. Earlier it was more about, what I chose to eat, to how I wanted to cut my hair, to what clothes I wanted to wear, to be friends what I wanted to do as a vocation etc
Freedom from Identity:
To now me look at freedom from my own ‘nature’ . as I sit an contemplate often to ask Am I free? There are days when the answer is a No. and then I go exploring that rabbit hole.
Our world history is fraught with Freedom fights, captivity, land and outer freedom. And our spiritual texts are full of stories and methods of inner freedom.
In the Book, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Ishmael is a gorilla who was captured in the wild as a youth and has spent his adult life in various forms of captivity. And years later he advertises for a pupil. When this man come to meet, he is unaware the ‘teacher’ is going to be a giant gorilla. The man is perplexed. As he and Ishmael start to have conversations.
One of the most powerful exchanges between these two..
What can you teach me? – I can teach you about freedom,
Freedom? why freedom? – I can’t only teach you from my life experiences.
What does that means – the man asked perplexed – You have lived a life of captivity
Exactly, says Ishmael – I knows my bars. And my cage.
Do you know yours?
The Story of the Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, talk of how even when he was imprisoned, his jail guard also had a lot of respect for him. He wrote,” Every grain of dust is ignited by my fire. I am the crazy man who is free even in the Jail.
How often do we look at or even know, we are caged. My quests last few years has been to see this.. the bars of my cage. My inner cage.
Where am I still locked in which beliefs about myself and of the world and then systematically open and meet them . I don’t feel much need to fight or demand for outer freedom now… I can eat at 1, if everyone is eating. It no longer feels like a “burden”. I choose.
I don’t feel the need to rebel as much for such things. But I still rebel. Against my own habits and personality. And this notion of “I am like this Only”.
We don’t realised how we cage ourselves with this “identification”. I am an extrovert, introvert, disciplined, free flow, rebel, conformist so on and so forth. Once have so vehemently announced to the world this, then we feel almost an internal obligation to be that. Even when some day you don’t feel like it.
Is this freedom.
One of our fights perhaps is then to fight for our True Nature, the one that was before we started to get caged in to “personalities”
Freedom to be wrong
Yesterday, some people shared how they felt free to speak because then knew no one could question them, In ither word the fear of saying or doing something wrong – keeps us caged.
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
We often internalised the labels and judgments and criticism of other so much , we don’t give ourselves the freedom. It saddens me often to think we are locked in an open cell.
Freedom to Express
I have often found, people will fight so much and make so much noise about wanting freedom to say something, but when given there is often silence. We have an idea a notion of freedom, but don’t really know what to do with it one we have it.. Its scary how our mind get used to “imprisonment”. Because it is familiar. I know so may friend who have given up this quest in a nicely wrapped sheath. Called. Acceptance.
We end up philosophising, mostly to convince ourselves. There is a thin line between surrendering and resigning.
We are perhaps afraid of speaking out our minds, because we will then know whet we really think and how of it we believe. And then what ich other say to that and can we stand the ground. It beast then to keep quite and keep fighting the freedom fight outside, that way no can suspect.
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
Freedom and Fear
At its core, I feel we are all trying to fight the freedom fight with fear, Freedom can be scary. In the movie Shawshank redemption, after spending years in prison, when one inmate is finally set free, he gets do confused and lost, he commit suicide.
“Freedom is always in the Beginning Not in the end” – Krishnamurthy
Last years lock down has really brough up the nuance of freedom and captivity. While on one hand pre covid people fought for “freedom to work at home” now they fight for “freedom FROM working at home” – We really are funny.
We often don’t really know what we want. And then maybe that should be the freedom struggle. To know ourselves and our mind and that we want .Before jumping into a fight, maybe it important to step back and see what are we fighting for?
Last week someone called me for coaching. He is a profession been working for over 25 year, had a family etc. He said he wanted to be a coach. On slightly inquiring further, he revels actually I want to be an “Entrepreneur” and someone told him that for that he can become a coach. I swear I rolled in eyes in exasperation. Why do you want to be an entrepreneur, I asked. After some fumbling, he said, because He wanted to be free.
Pease explain what that means, I probed, Free from what.
He almost immediately jumped into a how he was tired of people telling him what to do and what not to do all the time. I could tell he was frustrated. But also sad at the notion co freedom he had. I had to break that bubble for him. Better now then when more is at stake.
Freedom comes with the Responsibility. And Vice versa.
My angst with some people often has been. don’t stop my freedom if you can’t handle yours.
Our true freedom perhaps is when we shift our inquiry from – Freedom From to Freedom for and then drop that also.
As we know from the historical figures like Mandela, Gandhi, Viktor frankyl, Aung san suu kyi, freedom is a state of mind. And often it has very little to do with actual circumstantial reality.
One can be free in a prison and not free in a open meadow.
Freedom of speech is perhaps not just o be able to speak – but knowing you Can. and choosing to be silent. if need be. But not out of fear.
From the days of beg an activist for Women Empowerment – I now don’t like that word and cant understand it. NoBODY car give or take away freedom. and so nobody can “empower someone”
Perhaps we need a whole freedom definition. One that includes boundaries. I have had to learn this the hard way around. Without banks there is no river.
Maybe we its time to be candid with ourselves and see, Have we not aid a huge price already for our freedom. And set our souls free.
Perhaps TRUE freedom is at the VERGE. To hold both Dark and Light. and Not feel the need or urge to Judge either.
Freedom
Defined. By design
Slave to an understanding
Freedom is caged.
Shackled by the slumber of doubt, Without faith
Freedom wastes away
Like the tepid water running out of a once fresh mango
Slowing turning the fruit into its own grave
Drowned.
Burdened by habits of thinking – Freedom waits
Like a puppet in the wings
For someone – To pull the strings.
Fear activated – It mimics life.
I am saddened by the victory Of fear over freedom
Once again.
When will we be free to be free?
Rhea
