One of this generation’s great musicians, Jon Batiste, sang his song “Freedom” at the Grammys where he was awarded the best music video for 2022. The theme of the song is uplifted in the recent documentary “American Symphony,” that tells the story of Jon and his wife, Suleika, as she battles cancer, and he rises to fame. Freedom is central to their journey. His song carries the same theme as Martin Luther King’s words on the steps of the Lincoln Monument in August 1963: “Let freedom ring!” Both men experience freedom in their bodies, minds, and souls.
Defining Freedom
What is the freedom Jon and Martin sing and write about? Is freedom limited to the Oxford Dictionary definition: “The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint?” Is it an absence of domination? Should I be free to express my personal beliefs regardless of how they may harm someone who does agree with me? Is freedom not being enslaved or imprisoned regardless of what I do or say? Is freedom tied to my personal needs and wants or does it always relate to experience and rapport outside myself? Is freedom equality with others?
The German philosopher Georg Hegel (1770-1831) provided three contexts that clarify what freedom is and where it is experienced. His insights have stood the test of time. Hegel said freedom always relates to rapport with…
1) BODIES: any material form such as physical bodies or the environment.
(2) MINDS: other living things or thoughts and ideas that come to us from others or inside ourselves.
(3) SPIRIT: not our bodies or minds, but experienced oneness with all that is.
It is in being at home in these three realms that we experience true freedom. Freedom is never experienced in isolation. It is always in rapport. Rapport may be found in the mountains, at the beach, holding hands, in a shared thought, or in spiritual rapport that transcends adequate description.
There is another major component that is worth adding to Hegel’s thought: there is no morality, no moral choice without freedom. If we do not have the freedom to choose, our lives and actions are dictated by outside forces. Without informed ability to choose, we are captive to whatever prevents our informed decision making. This is true in society and our personal lives. Jon Batiste walks freely into the ocean to find strength and Martin Luther King went “to the mountain top.”
What leads to freedom is recognizing the morality in our choices and our freedom to choose the common good. Society dictates what we must do to maintain justice and live together peacefully—we cannot shoot someone if we disagree, run a red light, pollute common areas without penalty, or ignore documentable truths. It is respecting our neighbors and the common good that results in freedom to live in peace with each other.
Personal Freedom and Aging
As we age life brings with it more than aches, pains, wrinkles, and slowing down. It can also bring freedom from worrying about what people think about you, freedom to live in the moment, and freedom to embrace personal independence. Longer lives bring with them the opportunity to reimagine ourselves, work on our health, invest in relationships, discover new thoughts, and take time to explore the mystery of our being.
On the flip side, we can choose to build walls around ourselves. We can become encaged by misinformation or personal prejudice and become captive to judgmental or even hateful thinking. Such captivity does not lead to freedom. As a potentially free spirit we may still choose to live as a butterfly in an iron cage.
“Those who build walls are their own prisoners. I am going to fulfil my proper function in the social organism. I am going to unbuild walls”
The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
Thinking of his time in a German concentration camp, Viktor Frankl reflects:
“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offered sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
As we age, we are free to be happier and less inclined to get angry. We are more in tune with the emotions and feelings of others. Freedom is not a friend of fear. We may worry about falling or breaking bones which is understandable. This does not mean we should become sedentary by choice. It does mean we should take precautions to stay as safe as possible while maximizing our mobility and, as much as possible, keeping rapport with other people and the world around us.
We can take “awe walks.” Discover anew the universal spirit found in the beauty of a flower, a child laughing in the park, or resting on a bench while remembering a friend who brought you soup when you were ill. Being aware that our days on earth are growing shorter, we are free to enter the moment and experience it as timeless. In such moments there is freedom. There are no demands, no judgment, and no responsibility other than the freedom to be. Such moments are sacred.
Such activities bring a smile to my aging face. It is hard to be negative when we smile. Conscious smiling becomes a habitual way of living, freeing us from anger, and granting the freedom that has been there all along.
“Free to be (everybody come on)
(Everybody come ‘round)
(Everybody come on) Come on now”
Jon Batiste from his song Freedom
“When we let freedom ring…we will be able to join hands and sing the words of the old spiritual, ‘free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.’”
Martin Luther King
Written by: Hartzell Cobbs
About the Author: With a sprinkling of exuberance and vitality, Dr. Cobbs is an accomplished author of three books and numerous articles published in different venues throughout his life. Dr. Cobbs’ first book, Thanatos and the Sage: A spiritual approach to aging (2008), offers a thought-provoking interpretation of the interplay between how to live life with meaningful intentions and the eventuality of coming to terms with death. His second book, RavenWind (2019) delves into the raven’s role as it relates to Native American myths, legends, and folktales and global history. His reflections on the spirituality of living and dying depicted in his books are threaded throughout the short essays posted on the website for “Smart Strategies for Successful Living” and in his latest book, The Moon at the Window: Senior Reflections.
Check out these heartfelt and inspirational books…
The Moon at the Window: Senior Reflections: CLICK HERE.
RavenWind: CLICK HERE.
Thanatos and the Sage: A spiritual approach to aging: CLICK HERE.
Discover More…
- Unlock the secret to a happier, healthier lifestyle by delving into additional captivating articles on our website at: Smart Strategies for Successful Living.
- Enjoy our uplifting and inspiring videos on our YouTube channel at: CLICK HERE.