| Freedom by Katherine Sanders It seems we're as free as our belief in choice. Growing up in a very conservative Christian religion, the worldview I was taught centered on God choosing pretty much everything for us. There was a reason for everything, but it was "ours not to wonder why." I struggled with this perspective for years, attempting to logic myself through a system where people were randomly (or by God's directive) born into completely different worlds and then were held responsible throughout eternity for what they made of it. So missionaries had to go out and "save" the ignorant and wicked so they could have the freedom of salvation. But as a little girl growing up in the Midwest within this "saved" community, the type of freedom I was offered didn't make much more sense to me than the rest of the stories. As I've searched through a number of spiritual traditions and wisdoms to create my own belief system, what I seemed to have chosen as my fundamental foundational belief is choice. Freedom to choose. Free will. Because I now see the world through the lens of my belief in reincarnation, I believe I chose to come into this world. I believe I chose my parents, chose much of the life experiences I would be presented with, both wonderful and painful, and chose many of the soul friends I wanted to hook up with while I was here. So in that way, I believe in freedom and destiny at once. I also believe that freedom of choice continues throughout our lives. That is, although we made a plan together before we came here, I believe any of us at any time can opt out of the plan. We can say, "You know, I thought that sounded interesting before we got here, but now I'm thinking I'd rather not." I'm such a freedom junkie now that I believe we choose absolutely everything at one point in time or another! Maybe that's my academic background. Education and learning are all about choices. We learn by making choices about what to perceive, what to do, what to believe, and we experience how that works for us. I believe I chose the life lessons and themes that play themselves out in my experience of being Katherine Sanders. I believe that as soul friends pop up and we reconnect for purposes we agreed to before incarnating, I can opt out any time I like. I can choose to play the game we agreed upon, or I can change my route at will. I can even end this experience early if I like, although for me I assume I'd regret that choice, because who knows what neat experience could be waiting around the corner next? And because I don't believe that punishment makes sense -- that God or the Universe would choose to punish us for doing the best we can with where we are and what we know at this point in time -- I believe in the end I'll be the judge of how I did and what I'd like to do the next time I'm around. How's that for freedom? Other than the Law of Karma (cause and effect) which I do believe in, my consequences are my own. I will experience what I put out into the world. I will experience the consequences of my choices. And the choices I made before I got here will continue to play themselves out so I can choose again and again and again over this lifetime whether to step up for what I wanted for myself initially or whether I want to opt out. So those life lessons I chose this time (like patience, trusting my own vision) keep coming up as opportunities in the myriad of people and situations in the life of Katherine Sanders. If I mess up one time, there will always be chances to play again. Some opportunities for learning are more painful or more pleasurable than others, but the lessons are the same because I CHOSE this. I believe that to my core. I've structured what I do for a living around this belief system. I open doors for people so they can explore and choose what is right for them. I don't feel vested in what they choose because I know they can choose again and again, and what is a correct choice for them, leading them down the path they chose before coming here, is something I can't know. It's their path. It's their choice. I honestly believe that our choices are our own, not that they don't affect others, because of course we're all part of the same Whole, but that there is enough room for all of us to learn our lessons by making our choices and feeling their consequences all at once. Somehow we all fit together. I can't comprehend logically how all of our choices and continual freedom fit together coherently, but my heart believes it. As Harry Emerson Fosdick said, "I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it." There's planning and improvisation, fate and freedom, all wrapped up in our paradoxical experiences of life. The Big Mystery of life is, from my perspective, all about freedom and the responsibilities associated with it. Katherine Sanders is the founder of THRIVE, which offers organizational consulting as well as events for the general the public. She has a Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering and a decade of experience designing fun and challenging personal and professional development experiences for people working in universities and private industry. Her belief in free will frames her approaches to the design of professional development and she's currently writing a book about this topic. Contact her at (608) 845-7162 or visit www.thrive.bz Copyright © 2003 Katherine Sanders |
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