Levels Of Freedom
So it’s 4th July, 2018 as I’m writing this.
Congratulations to folks across the ocean on Independence Day.
I had someone from the USA earlier jokingly (I think) ask me if I was mad about it being Independence Day, as a testament to American superiority to us Brits.
And you know I honestly don’t care. I have yet to meet a British person who cares about American independence in my life. It’s an American celebration and, like the Superbowl, literally nobody else in the world has anything to do with it.
But this did get me thinking. Then this was compounded by Nate Schmidt who wrote a Twitter thread about what freedom means. This thread was complete with a bald eagle picture. I’m not joking.
Anyway…
Levels Of Freedom
There are different levels of freedom to the point where it’s a useless term. Well, it’s a useless term outside of selling how to make money online courses to people who hate their jobs, at least.
I much prefer the term autonomy.
And there are levels to that.
The first is – and most never reach this stage – do you have a boss?
If someone determines how you spend 8 hours of your day every day for the 40 working years of your life… you aren’t free. You have no autonomy over your actions.
I saw Kyle Trouble (I think) write about this on Twitter the other day; saying you give 35+ years of your life to someone else.
He was nitpicked by a guy who said, “Actually, you get weekends which equal fourteen years of your life and don’t even get me started on holidays…”
The guy missed the point horrendously, but to put it in his terms:
You trade five days a week working to make someone else richer so you get two days to yourself.
And you work forty-eight weeks a year making someone else richer so you can get four weeks to yourself…
And this is a good trade?
The Pirate Brain
I make repeated references to pirate stuff. Long-term readers will know that the niche site articles all have a pirate theme in the pictures. The upcoming private member site is called The Island. And throughout these articles, sprinkled in are references to Jamie McSloy as pirate guru.
In truth, I stole the metaphor from a friend. I’d make a terrible pirate. Killing isn’t my thing. Neither is raping, pillaging, and don’t get me started on boats. I get seasick pretty easily.
But there’s a wiring in some people that’s totally absent from the nitpicking guy above.
Some people are cool with having a boss and clocking in their forty hours, going home and chilling in front of the TV, sleeping and then doing it over and over again.
Some people aren’t.
I’m not.
It seems absurd to me that you’d let yourself get plugged in for use as a human battery/CPU for most of your life.
And so built in to the brain of people like me is the first level of autonomy.
But there’s more…
Survival
So you’ve got a business… and that makes you free?
I get it – no boss. Get up when you want. Buy a steak if that’s what you want to eat.
Eventually though, that will annoy the hell out of you.
You’re still consuming and still chained in.
I’ve worked a lot with a big name in the prepper/financial doom and gloom niche.
Some of the stories you get from those things are insane.
Guys losing their whole lot to a terrible divorce court.
Businesses losing everything when some tinpot dictator decides to absorb and nationalise an entire industry.
Now, these things are doom and gloom – and if you’re working in that niche, I recommend you find another niche to moonlight in for the sake of your mental health.
But still, you see that having your own business and multiple sources of income isn’t it.
No Man Is An Island… But He Should Make One
The rabbit hole of autonomy is infinitely deep. You can have multiple locations around the world. You can start a hippy commune that grows their own food and is independent. Or you can try and be a political player to hedge against the world going wrong.
So, this is a rant without end really… but on a day where everyone wants to talk about freedom, it’s important to think about what that is and where you stand on a scale of “in control of everything” to “my house is on fire and I have no underwear on.”