Freeing Ourselves

"If we wish to free ourselves from enslavement, 

we must choose freedom and the responsibility this entails." 

 ~~ Leo Buscaglia ~~ 

Many years ago, when I first began my search for those who believed that the world could be a better place, I found a book by Leo Buscaglia. His book, Born for Love, nearly jumped off the shelf into my hands. The minute I saw the title, I knew I had to read it. 

After devouring the book, soaking in every microbe of wisdom, highlighting, notating and rereading, I felt I was finally on the path I was born to travel. Free of the fog of indecision and confusion, I had come to a place where I knew what resonated with my mind and soul. 

However, with this freedom came responsibility. I quickly learned that I could not simply travel down my path in carefree abandon. No, there were still lessons to learn and teach. There were still people whose lives intersected with mine. There were still days filled with difficulty and heartache. 

What had changed was my understanding that I was responsible for MY happiness. I was also responsible for using the gifts Creator gave me to help those along the way. 

Many things can enslave us - pain, hate, sorrow, poverty, abuse - but when we realize that we can be free by loving ourselves and others, by sharing what we have, magic happens. Life begins to be a series of joy-filled events that soon outnumber the moments of crisis and trauma. 

As Dr. Buscaglia wrote, "You can be a follower of Muhammad or Jesus or Buddha or whomever. Always, they said that the most essential factor is to love your neighbor. And to love you." 

May we all learn to love ourselves and others, seeing the beauty of their essence and celebrating the joy of that recognition. Blessings!