Timely article, Rose. Generally speaking, and especially for me personally. I was just talking with a friend who is taking an philosophy class on Exhistentialism so we were discussing Sartre's thinking. I understand it better now. Thank you for so clearly explaining the tension (or vertigo) that we humans face as we yearn for both freedom and connection. The world is awash in people who think they are losing their freedom but it seems to me they are losing their humanity instead.
Very intriguing thoughts! I am not an Existentialist, but there is a wonderful thread of similarity you explore through that lens with the deep need for "freedom within structure" that Maria Montessori discerned when studying children.
That’s a great callout. I always think it’s fascinating to compare and contrast the adult mind with the child’s mind to find what lingers on after childhood. Thank you for reading.
Your essay couldn't have come at a better time for me. I've been wrestling with the challenge of integrating the 'Great Nothingness' while trying to define myself. My instincts told me that rules and structure are necessary, but I struggled to reconcile that with an utterly indifferent universe, whether determinate or not. This is the third piece of yours I've read, and I’m thoroughly impressed and delighted. I’ll be subscribing. Thank you.
Good article — it seems a very thorough analysis of the Yin-Yang nature of freedom. And per Sartre's teetering on the edge of a tall precipice, it's when you stand on a physically real precipice and realize you have the freedom to throw yourself off that you're hit in the face with that mind-warping vertigo. It may even be that, for some, the fear of heights isn't of falling but of that freedom.
You also had me thinking about how our consciousness may exist in the boundary between total chaos and total order — neither of which are useful or interesting. The beauty of the Mandelbrot is in that boundary region. It gets boring as you move away from that region.
There is also that often it's the constraints that result in great art.
It wasn’t until writing this article that I really came to view it in this balanced way. But I think it helps capture our fraught relationship with it. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
That tension is necessary for survival - but what is the optimum balance for us in the modern world, I wonder? We are our own worst enemy, but also our protector.
The modern Western world is particularly interesting because of the obsession with freedom and independent action. The preoccupation with individuality is, at times, stifling because we forgo all the constraint and boundaries that make life more navigable. The balance, in my opinion, is becoming more and more precarious.
Thanks! Here are a couple of quotes from my own writings on 'freedom' and 'innocence' you might be interested in:
"In its widest conceptual scale, growth may be equated to seeking after liberty, a reaching out towards the original, latent understanding and experience of freedom, something first acknowledged because it finds a direct correspondence with the in-built energy of the productive pulse all sentient beings experience to a greater or lesser degree. The permanence of such freedom is itself inherent to the human (practical and conceptual) mind and inhabits its expressions through what may be achieved in the transcendental process of going beyond the present state of being into the next, more advanced one. Or so goes the tale."
"We all know that, under the law, we are “innocent until proven guilty”. How we’ve come to know this, to accept it and make it a vital and firm symbol of our humanity is another story.
If I were to be caught in a criminal act or in an offense (felony) against someone else or someone else’s property, I would then be held for questioning and deprived of my freedom until the police and/or a judge would decide whether there is enough proof for me to be charged with that offense/crime and therefore be remanded in custody/incarcerated awaiting trial.
Now, how does that sequence of events fit in with the accepted premise which tells us “I am innocent until proven guilty”? Are we talking at cross purposes here?
If I am innocent (until proven guilty), why am I being apprehended and detained? Are those processes, those legal actions not based, at the very least, on the suspicion of my guilt rather than my right of assumed innocence under the law?"
If you're interested in reading more, let me know and I'll switch the paywall off. At the moment, what I write goes behind the paywall after 3 weeks of free-for-all reading/commenting.
Thank you for reading and sharing some of your work. Our widespread acceptance of the state and its firm limits on our freedom is an incredibly fascinating topic for me, like I mention briefly in this article. I think it speaks to our implicit understanding that freedom is never absolute, not even in our own behavior. Thank you again for reading.
Regarding toddlers, seeming to thrive in environments filled with structure, rules, and other barriers, psychoanalysis can be helpful here.
Similar to how Freud discovered his evidence of the “Death-Drive.” Simple observation can reveal deep truths that are
One day Dr. Freud was babysitting and simply observed his toddler nephew playing the so-called “Fort-Da” (roughly translated from German something like “Here-There”) game by himself.
To make a long story, short, the “Game” was that the toddler would take his favorite toy, and throw it across the room or behind some obstacle. He works then go over to it with a look of determination on his face (yet still grinning), until he “Won” the toy again and erupted with satisfaction and joy at his “Victory!”
The question for Freud, then, was what was the source of his pleasure that it couldn’t possibly be the toy itself that was providing his nephew with such pleasure. If that were the case, he would simply hold onto it forever and never let it out of his hand.
Nor could it be “the thrill of the Hunt,” since on the occasions where the boy failed to find the object (either Freud hid it from him, or placed it in a spot that was impossible for him to find or reach), he would display his displeasure and quickly lose interest, instead of “appreciating the challenge” (engaging in some kind of primitive problem-solving or superstitious ritual, or Something of that nature).
Anyway, if you want the full story and theory you can read about it in his famous 1920 book *Beyond The Pleasure Principle,” in which he totally disavows nearly all of his previous theories and work, most notably “The Pleasure Principle,” and revolutionizes Psychoanalysis and Psychology in the process.
Really interesting note here that I will have to look more into. It reminds me of some work I’m doing on a new piece about pleasure, value, meaning, and “vibes.” Thanks for reading.
Rose, thank you for this post. Lots in it. The winter hibernation must have provided great inspiration! I write in a similar vein, are we totally free and freedom for what. 🙏
Excellent essay Rose, thank you. I suspect it all goes way back. We survived on the savannas amongst stronger fiercer rivals and predators because of the paradox you describe. We had to explore but we couldn't do it alone. These days we extend the will and reach of the tribe while still aching for freedom. Not sure what I am saying other than its in our DNA.
First, excellent job with the voiceover. I don't know about you, but I have to do a lot of post-recording editing and often re-record a sentence or phrase or two.
Also, it's nicely written. Congrats again.
I read a lot in anthropology and psychology, so I already knew a lot of what you discussed, but every time I see this or a related topic addressed, I learn a little more by seeing it through another's eyes. It's an important thing to keep in mind, not in the least for me, who sometimes feels like I shouldn't bother to write something about ground already well-trodden. Another point of view is valuable! So, thank you.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you appreciate the recordings. As for the piece itself, I love piecing together ideas from different sources — even if they’re well-documented elsewhere. Honestly, I think that’s the joy of writing 😊 Thank you for reading/listening.
Yet another fun essay Rose! As always I appreciate your skillful readings. One thing that you didn’t address however was the motivation which drives our function. In some deterministic sense we mere puppets aren’t actually free, but rather function by means of motivational strings that in the end compel us to do what we do. Here perceived freewill exists as a product of our ignorance of that motivation. Regarding the future I consider this to be regulated by a punishing sense of worry when problems become perceived, and a positive sense of hope when effective ways to improve our lives become perceived. Without worry or hope, apathy should prevail to thus limit what we choose to do. I’d be honored if you and/or some of your readers would consider my reduction, which is found here: https://eborg760.substack.com/p/post-1-the-instantaneous-nature-of
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts and work. As I mentioned on your restack, this aligns closely with some of the writing I’ve been doing about motivation and judgment. More to come in this direction!
Rose, Dr. Steding, Carrie-Ann Biondi, Michael Portelance, Lori Ayre, and all,
Hello. Thank you for the add, and for learning and sharing the best truth you can too. Please see/share our research from Captain Rob Balsamo, Captain Dan Hanley, Amber Quitno, Prof. Tony Martin, Prof. Graeme MacQueen, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, and others and help us improve it if you can. Thank you!
Both my and my boyfriend's parents were much too permissive. Whilst growing up and afterward we didnt have any sense of direction in life, just like you said. It was only after we met that we finally started to decide a direction for our lives and move with it, our lives started to improve. Talk about true love!
Timely article, Rose. Generally speaking, and especially for me personally. I was just talking with a friend who is taking an philosophy class on Exhistentialism so we were discussing Sartre's thinking. I understand it better now. Thank you for so clearly explaining the tension (or vertigo) that we humans face as we yearn for both freedom and connection. The world is awash in people who think they are losing their freedom but it seems to me they are losing their humanity instead.
Very perceptive comment, Lori.
So much of our humanity seems predicated on how often we turn away from unbridled freedom. Thank you for reading!
Poets generally have a slightly different approach - here are the last stanza of two poems by a master Poet : Sir Richard Lovelace
Thus richer than untempted kings are we,
That, asking nothing, nothing need:
Though lords of all what seas embrace, yet he
That wants himself is poor indeed.
And
Stone Walls do not a Prison make,
Nor Iron bars a Cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an Hermitage.
If I have freedom in my Love,
And in my soul am free,
Angels alone that soar above,
Enjoy such Liberty.
Thank you for sharing these. They’re fascinating complements to what I’ve written here.
☺️TkU
Very intriguing thoughts! I am not an Existentialist, but there is a wonderful thread of similarity you explore through that lens with the deep need for "freedom within structure" that Maria Montessori discerned when studying children.
That’s a great callout. I always think it’s fascinating to compare and contrast the adult mind with the child’s mind to find what lingers on after childhood. Thank you for reading.
Your essay couldn't have come at a better time for me. I've been wrestling with the challenge of integrating the 'Great Nothingness' while trying to define myself. My instincts told me that rules and structure are necessary, but I struggled to reconcile that with an utterly indifferent universe, whether determinate or not. This is the third piece of yours I've read, and I’m thoroughly impressed and delighted. I’ll be subscribing. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Michael. I’m glad it resonated and that you’ve valued my writing so much. More to come!
You are welcome Rose. By the way I meant paid subscriber.
Good article — it seems a very thorough analysis of the Yin-Yang nature of freedom. And per Sartre's teetering on the edge of a tall precipice, it's when you stand on a physically real precipice and realize you have the freedom to throw yourself off that you're hit in the face with that mind-warping vertigo. It may even be that, for some, the fear of heights isn't of falling but of that freedom.
You also had me thinking about how our consciousness may exist in the boundary between total chaos and total order — neither of which are useful or interesting. The beauty of the Mandelbrot is in that boundary region. It gets boring as you move away from that region.
There is also that often it's the constraints that result in great art.
It wasn’t until writing this article that I really came to view it in this balanced way. But I think it helps capture our fraught relationship with it. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts.
That tension is necessary for survival - but what is the optimum balance for us in the modern world, I wonder? We are our own worst enemy, but also our protector.
The modern Western world is particularly interesting because of the obsession with freedom and independent action. The preoccupation with individuality is, at times, stifling because we forgo all the constraint and boundaries that make life more navigable. The balance, in my opinion, is becoming more and more precarious.
Thank you for reading!
Thanks! Here are a couple of quotes from my own writings on 'freedom' and 'innocence' you might be interested in:
"In its widest conceptual scale, growth may be equated to seeking after liberty, a reaching out towards the original, latent understanding and experience of freedom, something first acknowledged because it finds a direct correspondence with the in-built energy of the productive pulse all sentient beings experience to a greater or lesser degree. The permanence of such freedom is itself inherent to the human (practical and conceptual) mind and inhabits its expressions through what may be achieved in the transcendental process of going beyond the present state of being into the next, more advanced one. Or so goes the tale."
https://eme1998.substack.com/p/musings-on-the-topic-of-growth-part
"We all know that, under the law, we are “innocent until proven guilty”. How we’ve come to know this, to accept it and make it a vital and firm symbol of our humanity is another story.
If I were to be caught in a criminal act or in an offense (felony) against someone else or someone else’s property, I would then be held for questioning and deprived of my freedom until the police and/or a judge would decide whether there is enough proof for me to be charged with that offense/crime and therefore be remanded in custody/incarcerated awaiting trial.
Now, how does that sequence of events fit in with the accepted premise which tells us “I am innocent until proven guilty”? Are we talking at cross purposes here?
If I am innocent (until proven guilty), why am I being apprehended and detained? Are those processes, those legal actions not based, at the very least, on the suspicion of my guilt rather than my right of assumed innocence under the law?"
https://eme1998.substack.com/p/regulation-the-law-freedom-and-innocence
If you're interested in reading more, let me know and I'll switch the paywall off. At the moment, what I write goes behind the paywall after 3 weeks of free-for-all reading/commenting.
All the best!
Thank you for reading and sharing some of your work. Our widespread acceptance of the state and its firm limits on our freedom is an incredibly fascinating topic for me, like I mention briefly in this article. I think it speaks to our implicit understanding that freedom is never absolute, not even in our own behavior. Thank you again for reading.
Regarding toddlers, seeming to thrive in environments filled with structure, rules, and other barriers, psychoanalysis can be helpful here.
Similar to how Freud discovered his evidence of the “Death-Drive.” Simple observation can reveal deep truths that are
One day Dr. Freud was babysitting and simply observed his toddler nephew playing the so-called “Fort-Da” (roughly translated from German something like “Here-There”) game by himself.
To make a long story, short, the “Game” was that the toddler would take his favorite toy, and throw it across the room or behind some obstacle. He works then go over to it with a look of determination on his face (yet still grinning), until he “Won” the toy again and erupted with satisfaction and joy at his “Victory!”
The question for Freud, then, was what was the source of his pleasure that it couldn’t possibly be the toy itself that was providing his nephew with such pleasure. If that were the case, he would simply hold onto it forever and never let it out of his hand.
Nor could it be “the thrill of the Hunt,” since on the occasions where the boy failed to find the object (either Freud hid it from him, or placed it in a spot that was impossible for him to find or reach), he would display his displeasure and quickly lose interest, instead of “appreciating the challenge” (engaging in some kind of primitive problem-solving or superstitious ritual, or Something of that nature).
Anyway, if you want the full story and theory you can read about it in his famous 1920 book *Beyond The Pleasure Principle,” in which he totally disavows nearly all of his previous theories and work, most notably “The Pleasure Principle,” and revolutionizes Psychoanalysis and Psychology in the process.
Really interesting note here that I will have to look more into. It reminds me of some work I’m doing on a new piece about pleasure, value, meaning, and “vibes.” Thanks for reading.
Rose, thank you for this post. Lots in it. The winter hibernation must have provided great inspiration! I write in a similar vein, are we totally free and freedom for what. 🙏
I’m so glad you enjoyed the piece. Grateful to connect here!
Excellent essay Rose, thank you. I suspect it all goes way back. We survived on the savannas amongst stronger fiercer rivals and predators because of the paradox you describe. We had to explore but we couldn't do it alone. These days we extend the will and reach of the tribe while still aching for freedom. Not sure what I am saying other than its in our DNA.
Such an interesting paradox that likely has ancient roots like the ones you describe. Thank you for reading!
First, excellent job with the voiceover. I don't know about you, but I have to do a lot of post-recording editing and often re-record a sentence or phrase or two.
Also, it's nicely written. Congrats again.
I read a lot in anthropology and psychology, so I already knew a lot of what you discussed, but every time I see this or a related topic addressed, I learn a little more by seeing it through another's eyes. It's an important thing to keep in mind, not in the least for me, who sometimes feels like I shouldn't bother to write something about ground already well-trodden. Another point of view is valuable! So, thank you.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you appreciate the recordings. As for the piece itself, I love piecing together ideas from different sources — even if they’re well-documented elsewhere. Honestly, I think that’s the joy of writing 😊 Thank you for reading/listening.
Superb treatment of a deep and vexing philosophical question! Kudos!
Thank you for the kind words!
Yet another fun essay Rose! As always I appreciate your skillful readings. One thing that you didn’t address however was the motivation which drives our function. In some deterministic sense we mere puppets aren’t actually free, but rather function by means of motivational strings that in the end compel us to do what we do. Here perceived freewill exists as a product of our ignorance of that motivation. Regarding the future I consider this to be regulated by a punishing sense of worry when problems become perceived, and a positive sense of hope when effective ways to improve our lives become perceived. Without worry or hope, apathy should prevail to thus limit what we choose to do. I’d be honored if you and/or some of your readers would consider my reduction, which is found here: https://eborg760.substack.com/p/post-1-the-instantaneous-nature-of
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts and work. As I mentioned on your restack, this aligns closely with some of the writing I’ve been doing about motivation and judgment. More to come in this direction!
Rose, Dr. Steding, Carrie-Ann Biondi, Michael Portelance, Lori Ayre, and all,
Hello. Thank you for the add, and for learning and sharing the best truth you can too. Please see/share our research from Captain Rob Balsamo, Captain Dan Hanley, Amber Quitno, Prof. Tony Martin, Prof. Graeme MacQueen, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, and others and help us improve it if you can. Thank you!
https://michaelatkinson.substack.com/
Sincerely,
Michael
🦖
Both my and my boyfriend's parents were much too permissive. Whilst growing up and afterward we didnt have any sense of direction in life, just like you said. It was only after we met that we finally started to decide a direction for our lives and move with it, our lives started to improve. Talk about true love!
It’s so interesting how constraint can breed true freedom and action. Glad to hear things are on the upswing. Thanks for reading, Kat.
Yes its very refreshing
Freedom is when the only fear you need suffer is in consequence of your own ambitions.
When you think about what that requires, it includes: safety, belonging, agency, access to knowledge and respect.
That’s why anything impeding those things also impedes freedom.