What dose it mean, to be truly free?

Disclaimer:
he following theories are based on personal opinions, intuition, experience, and research. I do not claim that the content is scientifically proven or 100% true

What is the definition of freedom?
This is the type of shit you usually hear from random people:

Freedom means doing what you want, saying what you want to say, wearing what you want to wear, to some extent.

I have a serious problem with the last part of it. "Not hurting others", is coming from nowhere.
Don't get me wrong. I don't like hurting people. But I asked about the definition of freedom. Not about what constraints it must have.
Why would the definition of freedom, have something that limits it?

You see variations of this too. like:

Freedom means doing what you want, saying what you want to say, wearing what you want to wear, but not doing things against my religion since violating it will ultimately doom humanity. Anyway, where is your hijab?

This is exactly why I hate it when a doctrine of thought starts violating the definition of words, just to achieve integrity between concepts and have the guts to say "We want freedom". What actually is happening is that they don't want to say they are limiting freedom. So they make their own version of freedom, using the second part as a mirror of their other beliefs.

And now instead of a simple argument between "Being free" vs "Not being free" we have to deal with something like "Being free v1.1" vs "Being free v1.0.2".

The definition of a concept must be independent of any ideological or religious belief systems. If you claim divine inspiration or are a politician trying to manipulate the term for your advertisements, please invent a different word.

Ignoring the second part, we come to this definition:

Freedom is being able to do what you want to do

Seems legit, but there is a small issue here.

Do we choose what we want?

In the Brave New World, Aldous Huxley describes a dystopian society where people are conditioned from birth to accept, and even love, their place in the social hierarchy. Epsilons, for instance, are raised in a way that they believe they belong to the factories, that their purpose is to work hard and keep the economy running smoothly, and they genuinely feel satisfied with this role.

If freedom is about doing what you want, why does this part of the book make me so uncomfortable?

Let's not forget, that not so long ago, women were conditioned to believe they didn’t need education or equal rights. This raises a strange discomfort—the opposite of the feeling I associate with the concept of freedom.
So I think its better to shift the emphasis from "Doing what you want" to "Being able to do what you want".

Freedom is about having a choice

Being forced to do anything by an external force violates your freedom. But how do these external forces make us do something?

We behave in certain ways because, if we don’t, we don't get what we want. Why do we crave societal acceptance? Because we fear loneliness. We have a psychological need for others.

So, what’s truly limiting our freedom isn't just society—it’s our human limitations. The real chains are our desires, our needs. The true restrictions lie within us. They always have been.

The less you need, the more free you are

As a teenager, I paused here for a long time, reflecting.
I started with psychological needs.

The Master Morality and Slave Morality

From what I understood, Nietzsche argues that what people typically consider moral is simply what they’re told to believe is moral. They’re told to be compassionate, harmless, kind, and submissive to authority. Nietzsche especially hated the Christian morality, where Jesus is portrayed as someone who turns the other cheek to be slapped:

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." — Matthew (5:38)

Like many teenagers, I was drawn to Nietzsche’s view on morality.
But after some time, I faced a much bigger problem.

What is the point of trying to be free, if it can never be achieved?

I mean even if you free yourself from your most primal psychological needs, you're still bound to your biological ones. You still need food, you still need sleep, and eventually, you’ll probably die because of these limitations.

Believe me when I say I considered dedicating my whole life to create a superior life form to transfer my consciousness into, but it’s simply not possible—at least not yet.

And for a long time, I felt desperate and almost gave up on my dream of becoming truly free.
I never agreed with those who say freedom is an illusion. If something were truly an illusion, you wouldn't even have an understanding of it. But when I speak about freedom, you can feel it, right? You can sense the breeze, smell the fresh air, and imagine the cold, refreshing glass of water our minds associate with freedom.

Now I have a more flexible view on it.
Freedom isn’t an illusion—it’s a spectrum. Technically, you can never be "not free." You can only be less free or more free.
How to become more free?
Let's see what makes you less free.

Ontological view of the Human Condition

This is where we, as humans, find ourselves—in my humble view.
Someday, I’ll write about the graph explaining each part of it, but for now, let’s focus on our discussion.

As you can see, the self is surrounded by numerous layers. Each layer represents some form of structure, being influenced by the former and having impact on the latter. Together, they shape what this small piece of existence, which we call the self, experiences.

I hope you understand how frustrating it was to realize that even if I achieve complete financial, mental, and physical independence from the external world, I would still be bound by the outer layers of existence.

How does this form of enslavement work?

Each structure that defines our existence relies on corresponding parts of who we are, limiting us to keep the whole system functioning.

The system itself (representing all existence) imposes logical laws. For instance, you can’t make something both exists and doesn’t exist. It’s not logical, and since you exist, the system forces you to follow its rules. Your should either stop existing, or comply.
The physical world imposes physical laws. Your body, being a part of this world, must follow these rules. That's why you can only levitate when you are dreaming about it.
Mother Nature defines laws for living beings. Since you’re alive, you can't ignore the limitations that come with being alive—such as aging, reproduction, and survival needs. Trying to ignore these rules is what some people try to do when they challenge their bodies capabilities.
Governments create societal laws. If you want to participate in higher societal structures, they make sure you comply with these laws.

This is where there is room for customization. While some layers are non-negotiable, others—like governments and societal norms—allow for a certain degree of influence and adaptation.

The Government

The Government layer is unique. It’s the only layer where humans can directly participate.
And you can guess how brutal humans can be when they try to be part of this layer.
Much of the humankind suffering throughout history stems from this goddamn layer and those who live within it. Why?

There’s a simple rule: when a structure changes, the layers depending on it should get reorganized.

For those benefiting from the current government, "reorganization" means being replaced. To avoid that, they try to take control over the inner layers—ensuring people don’t change too much, social norms remain in their favor, and religion supports them.

Now, moving to the next layer: social norms.

Alright, I have serious problems with this one.
According to social media:

A social norm is a shared standard of acceptable behavior by a group. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into rules and laws.

If something is neither:

Logical
Ethical
Part of the law

Why should we follow it anyway?
Let’s tell the advantages and disadvantages of having social norms in society:

Advantages:

Easier to control people.
Um.. Elderly people get respect... I guess.

Disadvantages:

Social norms may have been based on logical or ethical reasons in the past, but there's no guarantee they still are.
Many norms are against common sense, yet we comply with them to avoid disapproval from others.
Some social norms are even unethical
Social norms can even contradict the law
They limit personal growth by suppressing unpopular opinions.
They oppress minorities by enforcing the will of the majority.
Social norms slow down societal adaptation, making it harder to create any change.
Social norms mirror the "Average" person. The "Average" person is a fucking idiot.
Any good social norms could have more impact if they were represented as logical or ethical laws.

So, fuck social norms. Do whatever you want, and stop caring about what others think. Don’t be a slave to your internal need of external validation.

Becoming free from yourself

Interesting thing about ourselves is, that we probably don’t exist. At least not in the way we think.
The self exists, but the version of "me" writing this and the version of "you" reading it are just images of that self. We are the product of a process:

External world → Memories → Beliefs about the external → Personal traits → Filtered by Consciousness = The Image, which believes it is the self.

And this process is constantly taking place, changing what we are.

By the end of the way, it's the same old case of Ship of Theseus

The Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus's Paradox, is a thought experiment and paradox about whether an object is the same object after having all of its original components replaced over time, typically one after the other.

What is the answer? I believe if the ship changes, its not the same.
We change, so we are not the same person we were before change.

Have you ever caught yourself trying to make yourself do something? How is that even possible? There must be more than one "I" here. That's the whole point of talking to yourself.

I once came across an interesting quote:

"We make the most important decisions of our lives when we are 18, and from that moment, we live according to the decisions of an 18-year-old teenager."

So, stop punishing yourself or feeling guilty for the choices your past self made. You are not even the same person you think you are right now, let alone the person you were in the past.

The master-slave dialectic

Our behaviors is the result of a negotiation between various internal images.
But how does this negotiation actually work?

First, two conflicting images or parts of us become aware of each other.
Then, they engage in a kind of internal struggle or debate.
The image that wins this inner conflict takes on the role of the Master, while the suppressed one becomes the Slave.

Interestingly, neither the Master nor the Slave can exist without the other. The Slave, being weaker, relies on the Master for guidance and protection, while the Master’s identity as a ruler is dependent on the existence of a subordinate Slave.

This dynamic is how we often suppress certain aspects of ourselves, both consciously and unconsciously. These suppressed parts can manifest as anxiety, frustration, or a sense of incompleteness.
You may feel pulled in different directions, battling inner conflicts between who we truly are and who we believe we should be.

By listening more to our instincts, pursuing our unique interests, and embracing new experiences, we can restore balance to this inner dynamic. Engaging with our authentic selves allows us to explore our passions and desires without fear of judgment or societal constraints.

Our instincts are not just random impulses; they are the voice of our true selves, guiding us toward.

We only live once, and it would be tragic not to experience it as a free human being.

Freedom, in any case, is only possible by constantly struggling for it.

Albert Einstein