The five faces of freedom
August 2023
The five faces of freedom With the 15th of August round the corner, Megha Bajaj celebrates by sharing what freedom means to her
Come August, my mind tunes
in to Independence Day. I keep wondering what it took our countrymen to claim freedom. I am taken back to times of revolts, revolutions, and yes, Mahatma Gandhi. As August approaches, I can’t help but wonder what freedom means to me. I realise it has a different connotation in each aspect of my life.
• Freedom of Health
True freedom in any form can be experienced with a healthy body. Unless the body is free of aches, pains, and diseases, at some point or the other, it will enslave us. I’ve found that eating consciously and getting enough physical activity as well as deep sleep is not a luxury but a necessity. Strangely, giving some time, energy, and love to the body frees me of it because, consequently, it does not remind me of its niggling presence the whole day long. This August, I determine to treat my body with even greater respect, so that, in turn, it can gift me true freedom. From itself.
• Financial freedom
Financial security offers financial freedom. What gives you this feeling of security is extremely subjective: for some, even a little may be enough, and for others, even having a lot may not. I was someone who never consciously thought of money. It was something that came and went, and something that I used.
Sometimes, it did cause me worry. However, about five years ago, I met a mentor who started guiding me about financial freedom and made me understand my assets, my liabilities, my expenses, and my income, and made me come up with a proper plan that tracks how I’m doing month on month. Somehow, the kind of security that this has given me has been so immense, that for once, I feel that money is no longer an anxiety in my mind. Rather, it’s a kind of freedom, and I have this sense that I have more than enough at all times. It feels good. Very good.
• Freedom to do what you love What you do from the time you wake up to the time you sleep defines your life. Each one of us is on a journey of our own, and the soul finds its succour in different ways. For me, I realised early enough that writing is something that gives me the deepest happiness. Despite being told by everyone that writers don’t earn money and being guided to make it a hobby, I chose it as a purpose. Today (as I touch eight figure turnovers and have found a voice through it), I can happily say that when you follow your passion, other things automatically follow; when you take up a job only because it gives you money, you feel incomplete.
Freedom in relationships
Freedom in relationships, to me, is being able to sustain myself as I am while allowing the other to remain their authentic self. Freedom is when there’s room for disagreement without disrespect. In a relationship marked by freedom love keeps growing, and enables me to become a better me. While this area is constantly in progress, I’m happy to say that a few little shifts— like becoming a lot more accepting towards myself and the other, and cherishing differences—have brought about much peace.
• Spiritual Freedom
The true meaning of life is to discover who I am. Who is Megha Bajaj and what is she here to do? Each day that I live, filled with purpose and peace, I feel a sense of deeper and growing freedom. Meditation has been an integral part of my life, and those few minutes of connecting to the Higher has kept me anchored through life and all its vagaries.This August, I urge each one of you to ask as our country walks into the 77th year of freedom: What does freedom mean to me? Happy Independence Day to you and to me.
Megha Bajaj is a bestselling author, film script writer and poet. An ardent seeker at heart, she also runs her online writing and healing workshops called WoW. You can read more about her on www.MeghaBajajWoW.com.
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