Society Doesn’t Praise Freedom and Independence

Be proud if you live this way

One of the highest values in my life is freedom and independence.

What does it mean for me? It is to live a life that I want to live. A life where I can do something, but I don’t have to. It means to have a job that is my hobby and fascinates me every day. But it’s also to have the space to stop and think whenever I need to. It’s a life where I make decisions and take responsibility for them instead of hearing commands.

And, there I am as a 26 years old guy with a very weird perspective on life, as a guy that never had a boss in his lifetime. As a freak who hardly has any other deadlines apart from the ones he chooses. Or, to sum it up, as working from home, independent digital content creator since 2016.

Yet, it’s not that beautiful as very few people live like that. Such a lifestyle, at least in the beginning, is usually a lonely road. You don’t have colleagues from work and probably live alone. With age, you watch how others stabilize in life while you remain free and independent. It’s not like you feel bad, yet you are a little freak far away from “everyday life.” You look at life from the side.

It’s like being in the sports stadium and looking at the people in an immense rush. You see people that are competing with each other in various fields. And you are in the audience wearing a bathrobe with a cup of coffee in hand, wondering what it’s all about.

Freedom Is Not Common in Our “Real World”

I love the Ted Talk speech by Greg Anderson, where he describes different “real worlds” throughout the history of humanity. He suggests that what we collectively believe creates a world in which we live. He gave the example of ancient cultures. Their belief in the various creatures, Gods, etc., created a “real world” for them in which such creatures were playing a big role.

So, today, we are living in 21 — century. We no longer run with swords or axes and don’t shoot each other with bows anymore. Despite various dramas, we are quite kind to each other compared to that. We even have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — freedom of speech, choice of occupation, right to vote, etc. That’s unique if we look at our history.

Then, we have the internet, global connection, well — we are planning to colonize Mars and all that. The society ideal is no longer a rock star but an entrepreneur intellectual. Our world is capitalistic and praises individualism. We put human beings as special beings.

Yet, it doesn’t look that colorful as we built a cage for ourselves. Most of us work a full-time, 8 hours workday. Many people come back from work, take care of house duties, and lay down to sleep out of exhaustion. In general, as Alan Watts once said in his lecture, we agree upon various political and economic rules that “divide our day into work and play.” Yet unfortunately, there is often not much time for playing or hobbies in “everyday life.”

There is a “rat race” with almost 8 billion individuals in the world competing for resources in every field. That’s a disaster — our “fast-paced” world.

There Is Not Much Room for Freedom

Barely anyone, especially among young people, thinks about freedom and independence. I’m a millennial, and most of my peers are in an insane rush. Most people I know don’t have time to stop and think about life. They are running in life because everybody does so.

Then, we have a society that doesn’t care about our desires but asks us only to pay taxes and not break the rules. That’s all. There is no pressure by society to do something significant in life. For society, it will be best if we choose a typical “9–5” job after the education system.

The desire to be “free and independent” is almost against the social rules we have set. Even if you achieve such a lifestyle, some people may look at you as a cheater and assume that you did something illegal to escape from the race. It’s because many people still don’t understand the power of the internet and the actual possibility of remote work.

Anyway, that is our “real world.” A beautiful place with tons of possibilities yet a strange economic system. There is not much space for freedom and independence as we are competing in every field for resources.

The Local Community Doesn’t Praise Such People

We all need various stores, barbers, bakers, and the whole structure like local offices, police, hospitals. It’s like Aristotle wrote in his book Politics:

Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.

Society and the local community have done a lot for us since childhood. Most of us went through the education system, grew up in peaceful conditions, etc.

And what if you say “no” after all that? What If you define yourself as a citizen of the world who wants a “laptop lifestyle” and doesn’t care about the local community? Well, to give an illustration:

People that have to walk a kilometer to the nearest grocery store for years would appreciate it if you opened such a store closer. Having a grocery store in a local community is not an “American dream,” yet you’ll get the support. You are almost a hero of the local community, as they find use in you. And, If you want to do that, you will maybe get a grant from the local office and help from the community.

But when you are an independent content creator, a citizen of the world, no one gives you grants to create better content. People see you as an outsider. Every average cashier in each store is more valuable for the local community than the next aspiring, e.g., digital content creator.

My point is that you may be egoistic with your goal. You don’t offer any services and don’t produce anything. At best you spend some money in local shops. Or, why should anyone build connections with you when your dream is to disappear from their “everyday world” whenever you get the occasion?

You Have Earned This Lifestyle

The local community, nearest surroundings, and family can make you feel bad when you go after freedom and independence. That’s because your desire is selfish. Yet, such a lifestyle has its price. It’s not like it’s an easy path to a fancy and joyful life without any worries.

I faced it at the age of 19 when my family had tremendous financial problems. I had to clash my ideals with reality. As a result, I gave up potential relationships or friends by telling them “no” hundreds of times. Also, I sacrificed my health, sleep, and things like that. And, I hate to write, “oh, how much I sacrificed,” because it was a decision.

But what makes me mad occasionally are the people who don’t understand such a life’s cost. They think that it magically happened to you. Or, what’s worse, they assume that you are lazy or don’t have ambitions because you don’t run with as much stress as others.

You may live slow and calmly. But you earned this lifestyle. It didn’t happen by a miracle. Freedom and independence, like everything else, come from sacrificing life in other areas.

Find People That Walk the Same Road as You

We, as a society, praise “hard work,” hustle, pain, and tend to ignore people that, e.g., working 15 hours a week with +8k$ monthly earnings. We, other creators, praise and admire such people. Yet, they may be weird for their nearest surroundings. They may have a hard communicating with others while living a completely different lifestyle.

Most working people are in a rush, and you are in the park with headphones, listening to the podcast, and call it your job. It seems unfair. It sometimes makes you feel bad like you are doing something wrong.

But, don’t worry about that. People that don’t walk the same road as you walk won’t understand you. They will ask, “why do you do it, why are you trying, isn’t it better to find a normal job?” They may even suggest that it’s childish or selfish to go after freedom and independence.

I wish someone would have told me a few years ago not to care about the opinion of people who don’t walk in the same direction. Or that it’s fine, If you don’t see much sense in a slow, stable life in the local community. It’s okay to walk with your head in the clouds. If you feel like that, there is no reason to fight it. At least now I can write it and maybe help someone to strive for such ideals.

The Takeaways

There is nothing bad in the desire to be free and independent as long you are accountable and do it legally.

The majority of people, especially older ones, won’t understand such a lifestyle. Your family will probably be against it as well. It is easier to say: “I want to be a doctor or lawyer,” as everyone knows what that means. But the decision to be free and independent is self-centered and almost unbelievable for many people. There are very few people that live like that.

You can produce lots of value and be a valuable person in a global community, but your nearest surroundings don’t find any use in you. You have different problems than them, and it’s sometimes hard to communicate.

The best way to solve that problem is to create connections within the community that walk the same road. Those people don’t need an explanation as they nod their heads in an understanding of your problems.

Everybody that has a desire to live free and independent life knows how hard it is. That is often a lonely road with zero understanding. Yet, if you “made it,” go and enjoy your life without shame. You achieved that with honest work, a great level of organization, and discipline.

Be proud of the freedom and independence you achieved.

Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.

— Seth Godin

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