Mystic Mantra: Are people afraid of freedom?

Posing this question at a time of a great hullabaloo of celebrations will sound weird but pondering deeply you begin to see the finer layers of truth in it. Freedom is such an exalted idea that everyone gets excited just by the thought of it, the heart flutters its wings and wants to fly high in the sky. But a romantic idea is very different from hard reality. Freedom is a fireball. If it comes to people, there are very few who are willing to burn their hands and hold it.

Then the question is, what is freedom? There are two kinds of freedom: negative freedom and positive freedom. The negative is much easier because in it you have to fight with an outside enemy, the torturer who has enslaved you. The whole being revolts against this situation and wants to get free. And when this is done, they end up with a huge responsibility of maintaining the freedom and evolving vertically, positively, not only themselves, but take the whole multitude in the higher direction. How many are capable of it?

Osho’s insight into the human mind is stupendous. He observes that unconsciously, people prefer to throw their responsibility on someone. Even the responsibility for his evolution! They try to escape from the responsibility of freedom, of making a choice. Therefore, there is a great fear of freedom. When you are a slave, the responsibility for your life is never yours. So, in a way, slavery is a very comfortable thing. There is no burden. In this respect, slavery is a kind of freedom from conscious choice. It is scary to make your own choices. No one forces you to do anything; all alternatives are open to you. Then the struggle with the mind begins. So, one becomes afraid of freedom. But if you really want to evolve to your highest potential, it is only possible if you take individual responsibility. Accept that you alone are responsible. This responsibility is a great blessing in disguise.

Osho’s message for any independent nation is: Accept responsibility for yourself, because only then will you become free. If you can admit that this hell you are in is your choice, that no one else is responsible for it, then you have become free!

Amrit Sadhana is editor of Osho Times International. She facilitates meditation workshops