EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
Freedom is a supreme value. We all strive to preserve and increase it, and we are very vigilant and sensitive to any external attempts to take it away. But are we sometimes too focused on external threats to our freedom to notice the ways in which we limit ourselves? Are there ways to become freer that are entirely within our control?
In this article, I will explore five lifestyle practices that I believe are key to living a free and fulfilling life. And while I have serious shortcomings in implementing them in my own life, I hope you find them interesting and/or useful and are inspired to try them out.
1. Get in good physical shape
Giving up harmful and unhealthy habits such as smoking, alcohol abuse or gambling is one of the most common and clichéd advice I could offer. Therefore, I plan to skip it and direct your attention to the next level, namely a physical form that is as close as possible to that of professional athletes. It is true that good nutrition, a regimen and regular gym visits are enough to lead a healthy life, but a truly developed body opens up new horizons. And although achieving such a form requires a serious amount of time and willpower, the freedom of the individual grows in direct proportion to his physical strength.
Knowing that you can rely on your body at any moment is liberating. For example, being able to defend yourself well in the event of a physical altercation increases your confidence that you can handle unforeseen situations and frees you from the fear of confrontation and from relying on other people for security. And the fact that you had the will to go through the difficult path of intense training and difficult diets gives you the confidence that you can handle all of life's challenges.
You can learn more about the connection between physical fitness and freedom here from the guru of healthy living and member of the Executive Board of the Bulgarian Libertarian Society, Lazar Radkov.
2. Create a home
A home is much more than walls, a roof, and a place to sleep and store things. It is the place where each individual can be completely themselves and establish their own order. A good home is an extension of the body and spirit of its owner and is an expression of his personality, while a poorly made home is a constant obstacle to the individual's life path.
Sounds too abstract and “zen” to you? Let me give you a few concrete examples. If friends and parties are important to you, allocate more space for a living room that can accommodate many guests. If you are a family, create a good children's room. If you adore nature - make a garden on the balcony. And don't overdo it with functionality - this is not a factory or an office. Beauty and style are key. In short, the form and function of your home should complement your daily life and be adapted to your lifestyle.
It is no coincidence that one of Jordan Peterson’s most memorable pieces of advice is “Clean your room!”. Society, the political system, or work have many problems, and solving them most often does not depend on you to a large extent. But the home is the space over which an individual has the most power. It is the first external space that each of us should improve before moving on to improving our family, our company, our city, our country, and the world. Therefore, although it requires a serious financial and time investment, creating a space in which you feel comfortable, calm, and happy is an indispensable step on the path to personal freedom and a fulfilling life.
3. Learn to use a firearm
To some extent, this advice is a natural extension of the first one when it comes to security. Owning a firearm may seem unnecessary or even scary to many modern people. After all, acute conflicts in which someone's health and life are threatened are very rare, and most people do not become victims of serious crimes in their lifetime. So what is the point of having a firearm?
The truth is that a firearm is the most accessible and direct guarantee of your personal security. It falls into the category of “things I don’t want to use, but it’s a very good idea to have”, along with life insurance, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit in the car. In Bulgaria, the need for responsible firearm ownership is sharply increased by the ineffectiveness of the police, especially when it comes to preventing and/or effectively investigating crimes. In our country, the state has practically abdicated its function as a protector of private property and the lives of its citizens, and a free person must keep this in mind and take measures to guarantee the security of himself and his loved ones.
Another, much less discussed, way in which responsible gun ownership makes us freer is that it is the strongest defense citizens have against the establishment of totalitarian and tyrannical governments. No tyrant can impose unjust laws on an armed population for long. For this reason, governments are constantly looking for ways to restrict or prohibit gun ownership. Examples include Nazi Germany and the USSR, which disarmed their populations in order to establish greater control over them.
For this reason, many developed countries in the world, such as the United States and Switzerland, respect the fundamental right of every person to take care of their own security and have a very developed culture of responsible firearm ownership. You can read more on the topic here.
4. Be active citizens
While we are on the subject of political freedom, let us consider one of the most important ways of ensuring it, namely - civil society. Civil society is the method by which individuals associate and defend their rights collectively. The features on which these voluntary formal and informal communities are based are diverse. Sometimes they are based on a specific ideology or cultural identity, while others represent an association of people with a specific common interest or idea. For example, there are women-only organizations that are dedicated to developing and defending the rights of the fairer sex, a motorists' union that looks after drivers, professional organizations that focus on the problems of a particular profession, and so on.
This type of organization plays a very important role in democratic public life and influences decisions and policies on which the rights and freedoms of all citizens directly depend. In theory, this function should be performed by political parties, but they have long lost their identity and have become machines for trading influence. In a country like Bulgaria, where the application of laws is selective and often has a purely punitive function, the support of the civil organization or network in which you are a member can protect you from unjust state repression.
But what if you do not wish to delve into public life and have other interests? Will you then be left without the above-described “insurance”? Should a free individual necessarily devote time to political pursuits?
The short answer is “no”. Voluntary human organizations by their very nature represent a natural counterbalance to state power. A well-developed hiking club is much more than a collection of people who go on excursions together. The network of acquaintances, relationships and established traditions in this community ensures that its members are not atomized and isolated individuals and that there will be someone to stand up for them and help them in difficult times. For this reason, the free individual realizes that it is very important to be active in contributing to the civil society of the country in which he lives.
So get together and connect with people with whom you share common values or interests! And if for some reason such an organization or network does not exist - create one and let them come to you. A good start is to become a member of the Bulgarian Libertarian Society, one of the few organizations dedicated to the protection of private property and personal freedoms of all Bulgarian citizens.
5. Have a serious relationship or marriage
What? Wasn't this article about freedom? Don't close the window, give me a chance.
At first glance, casual short-term relationships and the sexual freedom embodied by apps like Tinder are the emanation of personal freedom. No burdensome commitments, no responsibilities, no consideration for the whims of the other, just the pleasant part - what more could you want?
It is only when we look at what actually happens in the long term to people who practice such a lifestyle that we realize that this “freedom” comes at a high price. The reality is that the majority of men and women have extremely negative experiences in the sexual marketplace and lead unsatisfying and romantically unfulfilled relationships that are focused on short-term pleasure. Over time, people who pursue short, superficial relationships become slaves to their own desires, devoting more and more time and resources to obtaining increasingly unsatisfying sex.
They gradually lose the ability to fully communicate with the opposite sex, as they are accustomed to viewing it only as a source of pleasure. This makes one of the most serious challenges of modernity - finding a meaningful romantic relationship and creating a family - an almost impossible task for them. The end result is loneliness, suffering and regret for wasted years.
Yes, the sex market is free and should remain so. But a free-thinking person is an informed consumer and plans his choices carefully and according to the conditions, trying to avoid serious mistakes. So be smart and free yourself from the tyranny of sexual permissiveness. Apply a well-tested long-term strategy and find a good partner to whom you can devote yourself completely. You will quickly discover that along with the responsibilities of a serious relationship come enormous benefits.
If you manage to develop a fulfilling relationship with a good partner, he or she becomes the most valuable ally in your life. He or she knows you well, has your back, is able to provide valuable and honest perspective, helps with difficult decisions, and provides emotional support. Having someone you can always count on is extremely liberating. Even from a purely economic perspective, a serious relationship, cohabitation, and marriage bring serious advantages. Studies conducted by American sociologists show that the wealth of married people grows faster than that of single people. A logical conclusion, considering that the division of labor is a key factor in economic prosperity.
For these and many other reasons, establishing a lasting, happy, and harmonious relationship with a good partner is one of the best long-term investments in freedom you can make. And if you're more interested in the dynamics of the sexual market, you can read our chairman Stoyan Panchev's great article on the subject - here.
Conclusion
I hope you found these tips useful or at least interesting. Even if you strongly disagree with them, I think it's sometimes useful to remind ourselves that our freedom depends primarily on ourselves and the choices we make in our personal lives every day. So, be responsible to yourself and choose to live freely!
