HAPPINESS VS. FREEDOM...Which pursuit leads to a 'satisfied mind'?

I have arrived at the conclusion that the 'pursuit of happiness' is a foolish Western notion invented by those who hold the reins of power and foisted upon those who could make a difference; in order to keep us fat and stupid and weak - in a word, slavish.

If I can find a way to reconcile my own happiness with transforming social conditions for the better, say, in rooting out the lies and damning the liars, so be it, but I am no longer so naive as to pursue the one at the expense of the other.

I'm not on this planet to directly aspire after happiness; rather, freedom. And should happiness result as a by-product, then all the better.

Freedom always comes at a cost. We are everywhere bound in chains.

This is not a condition that I am content with. And if it takes my struggle and my life’s efforts to bequeath a world rendered saner to my grandchildren then that to me is a far worthier cause then some illusory goal of happiness.

Happiness is, to paraphrase Nietzsche, an affliction of the near-sighted. For those with clarity of vision, who perceive that every apple-tree in the orchard has been poisoned, it does not suffice to wait idly by in the hope that an apple untarnished may fall here or there...indeed, it is time to take up the axe!

As for my own idiosyncratic approach, I do believe that there are certain practices essential to claiming freedom:

I think it's important to understand the system of which you are a part - what you are being told and who benefits from you believing these things.

I also believe that an awareness of history is vital - how forces interact to shape reality over time; what is acknowledged, what is discarded; the impact that individuals have on a particular milieu and how dominant voices shape the stories that are passed on.

A grasp of history gives you a grasp of continuity, and enables you to perceive current situations with greater clarity. There is a saying that those who have lost their history have lost their soul. This helps with reclaiming your own mind - which is further enabled by interrogating your own thought-patterns and making connections between your internal reality and external conditioning.

However, the most powerful practice to achieve this, I feel, is regular meditation. By transcending thought itself you tap into another dimension, wholly beyond all conditioning.

This is the ultimate freedom! Perhaps the only kind possible.

And, then I take every opportunity to avail others of the awarenesses which I accumulate. Because I know that this is uncommon knowledge and knowledge shared is power. And I believe in the domino effect. There needs to be competing discourses - people need to be presented with alternatives to what they're being bombarded with. So, I am very expressive and pass on this information whenever I am able.

Kindness too is necessary...active compassion...giving...contributing!

Energy should be shared. In this way we acknowledge that we are all in this together, and one cannot arise at the expense of others. One must be on guard against hoarding, because whatever you hoard, you become a slave to - and there can be no freedom as a result.

By freely pouring out whatever it is that you have plenty of, that with which you overflow, and making this a ritual, you learn to recognize yourself in others, and others in yourself.

So...free your mind from its conditioned patterns and wed it to higher truths instead...open your heart...flow like a river to slake the thirst of a multitude...

...these are my requisites for freedom!

And this kind of freedom may indeed be the ultimate happiness.