Freedom of a Sort

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When I finally gave up hoping that my Jeep would be returned to working condition in what I would have previously considered a timely fashion, I stopped paying exorbitant fees for taxicabs and learned how to use the local public transit, which is primarily buses. Greg is a friend from Boston who uses public transit there exclusively, and he promised I would find it liberating. Although I miss the freedom of a private vehicle (no word yet on the Jeep), his promise has been fulfilled in a very spiritual sort of liberation:

I no longer fret or steam over traffic snarls. I typically leave one and a half to two hours before liberty expires, and I must be on the ship. Further, someone else is in the driver’s seat. It is their problem, not mine.

I have completed reading several books (today makes three by my count) — a feat I had not accomplished since February 4, 2004 (yes, that fateful day). I have started many, but finished none.

These are, of course, the two books recommended by my spiritual father and the other, related title, which I mentioned previously. Since my internet connection is currently hampered by my abysmal financial condition, I will collect offline my thoughts on each text individually and then post them here.

Clearly, this is liberty of a different sort. As a citizen of the United States, I am accustomed to imagining liberty, especially when associated with traveling about, with freedom to: to move, to go where I wish right now, or in exactly thirty-five minutes, to get there faster or slower, and so forth. But my newly discovered liberty is precisely a freedom from: from the need to be dominated by my desires to roam, from the entanglement with traffic, which tends toward my agitation, from slavery to an object that, as we speak, is demonstrating that its value will have an end.

And it feels good to be free.

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2 Responses to “Freedom of a Sort”

1. 

   Tabitha Says:
   September 14th, 2007 at 2:09 pm

   Yes, our stuff so often enslaves us, even in ways we don’t see. I’ve been contemplating that a lot for a similar and yet opposite reason. We just bought a minivan. Very liberating in some very important ways, and yet, the payments are definitely a return to slavery. Meanwhile, enjoy your reading time. Those seasons of life can be very precious. Will continue to pray for the restoration of your vehicle so that you can choose whether or not to use public transport!

2. 

   Gregory Says:
   September 24th, 2007 at 12:06 am

   Glad you found it liberating!