If there is one thing we all have in common with each other, it’s that we want to be free. We do not want to be imprisoned, held captive, confined, or the like, in any way. The very foundation for American life is freedom and that cry is heard around the world. But what is freedom anyway? Is it doing what you want when you want? Saying what you want, when you want? Is freedom more personal? Is it just something each of us defines for ourselves, such as “Freedom is not having to work”.

For most, it’s all of the above. Yet, if that is so, how could someone be truly free if he is not able to manage himself? Emotional Empowerment is, in essence, self control. A human being is the only creature that can and must learn to have precise self control in order to be free. There is no such thing as freedom as long as someone can aggravate, bother, agitate, frustrate or anger you. Hell, there’s no freedom if weather, business, or politics can change your mood or behavior.

Furthermore, it is one’s emotions that dictate what to do, when to do it, who to like, or not like, what to believe in or not, and so on. How can one claim freedom, when, at anytime, a person, place, or thing can change their “being”? Or, when one’s own emotions are controlling them?

Emotional Empowerment is the ability to control thoughts, perceptions, and emotions that disturb or disrupt us internally. It is having the strength and wisdom to know how to be able to contact the world or relate to the world in a way that brings about no disturbance. This is a tall order due to the fact that we humans having an unconscious contract that allows us to act as prisoners of our emotions. Living this way is actually considered acceptable, because it’s the norm. What do we get? We get a world full of people chasing freedom without having the least bit of understanding that their imprisonment is self induced and the only way out is by educating oneself in the higher principles of living. Learning the art of Emotional Empowerment needs to be the highest priority in one’s life; career, family or whatever other dreams humans come up with, not withstanding.

I am not talking politics here. I’m talking philosophy. The reason being is governments can’t give someone freedom. They can only give them the opportunity to have it. Billions of people consume their lives, trying to get their political views implemented. Even if they are successful; freedom is not achieved. In politics, there are many different “political parties”.

All have the answers that will make their country and their people have peace and prosperity. Funny thing is, none have worked.

In philosophy we have two kinds of people; introverts and extroverts. Don’t get this confused with personality traits. This is different. Philosophically, extroverts are people who base their life on what’s happening outside themselves. They place their lives in the hands of the world hoping that people, places, and things will give them what they want. These people rely on the world being a particular way so they will be okay. They spend their lives wishing, hoping, praying and trying to fix the world so things are the way they need them to be in order to have peace and happiness. The biggest problem with this way of living is that the very nature of the world, which consists of people, places and things, is change. Even those with extreme wealth, power, fame, or all three, can’t keep the world from changing. Therefore, all the work that goes into getting your life the way you want it as an extrovert will go out the window at any time. That is guaranteed.

Introverts base their lives on managing themselves, not the world. They spend their lives creating a peace within themselves. They look to themselves, and not the world, to find peace and happiness. If an introvert has a problem, they don’t get upset. They look at themselves to see what they must do to change, grow, learn, and improve. To simplify this, an extrovert would say “someone or something ruined my day today. I wish they would change.” An introvert would say “I allowed someone or something to ruin my day. I must learn how to change the way I hear, see, think, believe or feel so I no longer am disturbed by this”.

We can’t use the word freedom in our vocabulary, if we are dependent on people, places and things. Of course we must have food, water and shelter. That’s the extent of our extroversion. Without our own Emotional Empowerment, freedom is this huge idea that excites everyone, but will never be reached.

Sure there can be moments of movement that mask themselves as freedom. An example is a break up or divorce. Most people go through great pain during the process and, often for years after. Then, Freedom. That person, or the thought of them, along with the pain and suffering may be gone. But you are not free.

Freedom is not the absence of misery. Freedom exists when your happiness is no longer dependent on the outside world. In other words, freedom is happiness minus external factors.

Imprisonment is when your happiness is reliant on external agencies. Hence, if freedom is what you are after, it’s time to become Emotionally Empowered. There is no other way.

Imagine a life where, in war or peace, honor or dishonor, pain or pleasure, wealth or poverty, birth or death; you were good, solid, helpful, happy and oh, yeah, Free. That can be….

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