Reflection: The Last of Human Freedoms
“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.”
As a content creator, and as someone who engages on social media pretty much all day every day, I cannot deny the swarm of political opinions that I’m exposed to, bathed in, every day. Hot on the topic list: our freedoms. What’s at stake, what’s not, what’s necessary, what’s not, who’s to blame, who’s not.
Although I, like all people, have my own set of concerns and fear-based thoughts on the happenings in the world, I’ve made a conscious decision to not explicitly speak on my subjective beliefs. Why? One, because I cannot remember a time when a person’s condensed post changed my opinion (nuanced conversation runs low on social media), but more importantly, because I believe we need more people to encourage others to think and listen to themselves over other people’s thoughts right now.
Listening to my intuition has always—always—been my greatest guide, even when it's disappointed others. I’m not saying my intuition is objectively “correct”, because it’s based on my personal lived experience, which may look a lot different to the person next to me. No matter how different the next person’s lived experience, and ultimately, their personal beliefs about the world differ from my own, I still honor that person for choosing their inner guide over others.
To me, that’s a beautiful thing—to appreciate our uniqueness, rather than shun it.
When the world feels messy and chaotic, find peace within yourself and choose your own way, as Viktor Frankl says. Each day, I do my best to choose movement, to choose nourishment, to choose tolerance, to choose unconditional love for myself and others, flaws and all.
You will always have a freedom to choose your attitude—no one can ever take from you.
What do you choose today?
xoxo, Megan