So often we seek liberty. Yes. Perhaps often is an understatement. We do. We seek for freedom, joy, pleasure whether in temporal sources or those fountains of deep rekindling fire. Such is our pursuit and our actions follow. And yet there is a diminished sense of worth in what we receive in gratis. Gratis is the free lunch of handouts. Libre is a merited state of being. The "gratis" seeks instant gratification and at the mere hint of toll, recedes its definition. The "libre" finds, develops and then reinforces its definition in the heart of distress and demand.
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| Downtown montreal: Sherbrooke on the mish |
Whether it was in the two year mission that taught me so much or the go-go huah of the Air Force that has and will continue to yet teach me, the principle applies: buckling the sheer strain amidst an ever increasing load. It is a matter of being free despite the harness that is applied. We consider ourselves free despite the effects of gravity yes? free despite a government that will nevertheless prohibit. and what is freedom then? Perhaps just understanding--an internalization of the environment under which one operates and thus a liberating calm and diligent bustle.
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| A relaxing place for romantics or those reposing from a rigorous training session--yearlong and here and then: Eagle's Peak |
I think the key lies in introspection: stopping to do a bit of analysis despite a fast-paced lifestyle. To sit and enjoy the things around that just are too often taken for granted. These are the things that will bring a relaxed smile upon that face to whom the anxious brow bickers. Perspective. Eternal. It is not to forgo the strain but to smile upon it, after it and eventually not even notice it.
