As our nation celebrates its 66th independence day on 15th August, it is definitely time to rejoice, celebrate and look to the future, while we continue to learn from the past. We have come a long way, though there are miles to go before we sleep. Exactly 8 years ago, during one such celebration, a strange series of questions struck my mind - What is so great about freedom?
Why an independence day happens to be the most savored day for us, and for that matter, for any nation? What did we actually achieve by getting independent? Yes, we got rid of the British rule, but what was wrong with the British rule? Are we happier today than what we would have been under the British rule? All these questions were going through my mind and i was looking for answers.
As i was pondering more on the questions, i realized certain key attributes that independence brings to a nation:
Why an independence day happens to be the most savored day for us, and for that matter, for any nation? What did we actually achieve by getting independent? Yes, we got rid of the British rule, but what was wrong with the British rule? Are we happier today than what we would have been under the British rule? All these questions were going through my mind and i was looking for answers.
As i was pondering more on the questions, i realized certain key attributes that independence brings to a nation:
We decide our own destiny
It is not a question of whether we fare better today or not, the point is that we should be able to decide our own destiny. That is what independence brings us. We should be able to decide what is right or wrong for us, we should be able to take our own decisions, do our own mistakes, learn from them and then take our nation forward in the direction that "we" feel is right. This was one strong reason for being an independent nation.
Slavery was a beautiful comfort zone
If any country has been slave for more than 200 years, I realized that it was such a beautiful comfort zone for most of the nation's population, till the shackles were broken by our leaders and freedom fighters starting from Rani Lakshmibai to Mahatma Gandhi to Chandrasekhar Azad to Bhagat Singh to millions of other known and unknown names. We were required to be awakened and shaken out of our comfort zones. If that would not have happened, we would have still been surviving as a "slave nation" comfortable with whatever we got at that point, because we would have never seen the other side of the picture.
Fight was on because everyone wanted to be a part of the solution
When Rani Lakshmibai fought her first battle, do you think she was not aware that she stands no chance of winning any battle against the mighty Britishers? She knew it. Then why was she trying to fight? Was it suicidal? She knew she cannot solve this problem (of slavery), and she was never fighting for that end result. She was fighting because her inner voice told her to be a part of the solution rather than to stay a part of the problem. She was ready to die being a part of the solution rather than live a luxurious and comfortable life as a queen, being a part of the problem.
Most of us never realized we were slaves
At that time, when freedom struggle was beginning to erupt, life was going on fine for so many of us Indians. We never realized that we were slaves. We were working, earning money, feeding our families. Why the hell should we risk our family's future and fight for freedom? There were no major issues with what we were doing. It is only after some enlightened souls showed us the reality that the nation woke up and realized that we were living as slaves and that slavery was no more acceptable.
I was pondering over the above four points and i had a strange co-relation of a nation's independence with our own personal independence. So, i thought, though our nation is now independent, are we , as individuals, truly independent?
To find the answer to this question, i asked a few questions to myself, considering the same 4 points above. I earnestly recommend all of you to answer these 4 questions for yourself and see whether you are truly independent or not?
(1) Am I able to decide my own destiny?Or is it driven by the options given to me by someone else? What if i love to help my society and do that full time, or for that matter pursue any of my long cherished passions? Am I "free" to do that? or am I bound to do something because money is needed to feed my family?
Am I truly independent as a person?
Am I truly independent as a person?
(2) Am I in a comfort zone?
Salary is coming in, family is getting fed, this has been happening for the last few generations and therefore it so comfortable being here in this zone. Is there a zone outside this, which is much more beautiful and rewarding? Am I open to new ways of thinking, new ways of living life? And for that,
Am I ready to push myself out of the comfort zone and fight for my personal freedom?
Salary is coming in, family is getting fed, this has been happening for the last few generations and therefore it so comfortable being here in this zone. Is there a zone outside this, which is much more beautiful and rewarding? Am I open to new ways of thinking, new ways of living life? And for that,
Am I ready to push myself out of the comfort zone and fight for my personal freedom?
(3) Can i break free from this rut of earning money?
And do something beautifully value adding in life? I may not know whether I can finally achieve it or not, but can I at least attempt to be a part of the solution even if i cannot believe that i can solve the problem?
Can I at least start working on a plan which can take me towards freedom?
And do something beautifully value adding in life? I may not know whether I can finally achieve it or not, but can I at least attempt to be a part of the solution even if i cannot believe that i can solve the problem?
Can I at least start working on a plan which can take me towards freedom?
4) Do I even realize that I am actually a slave?
A slave who is trading off my time and getting paid for that? If I stop spending time, I stop getting paid. Period. Thats slavery. Time is my most important asset and I am compromising more and more of it to earn money. Can I break this cycle of rat race? Can I earn time? Because it is time that I need to build relationships - with myself, with my family, with my society and this world.
A slave who is trading off my time and getting paid for that? If I stop spending time, I stop getting paid. Period. Thats slavery. Time is my most important asset and I am compromising more and more of it to earn money. Can I break this cycle of rat race? Can I earn time? Because it is time that I need to build relationships - with myself, with my family, with my society and this world.
I was convinced that "I WAS STILL A SLAVE WHO WAS SEEKING FREEDOM".
That is when i started on my journey towards financial freedom, and today, i feel blessed to be working with such great freedom seekers from all walks of life, from all parts of the globe, who have also realized that they need freedom.
That is when i started on my journey towards financial freedom, and today, i feel blessed to be working with such great freedom seekers from all walks of life, from all parts of the globe, who have also realized that they need freedom.
I am helping them get on the other side of the fence and see how beautiful this world can be...
- a world where you have enough time and money to decide what you want to do with your day, your week, your month & your life.
- a world where Mondays are no more scary. They are as beautiful as any other day of the week.
- a world where you are the master of your time - the most precious commodity in the universe.
- a world where you can relive your childhood days.
- a world where happiness and peace is more important than the next client meeting.
- a world where you can start pursuing your passion, your dreams and what you truly love in life.
- a world where you are TRULY INDEPENDENT.
Friends, time is limited for everyone in life. No one can earn a second more than 24 hours, and therefore, it is very precious. If you cannot decide what you do with your every minute, every hour and every day of life, and someone else is deciding that for you...it is high time you realize that independence is still far away.
It is not impossible to achieve independence but you must make efforts to move forward towards your own financial independence.
Decide what your true independence day is going to be....... all the best !!
Decide what your true independence day is going to be....... all the best !!
Cheers
Manoj Arora
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