Freedom Requires Courage . . .

Freedom Requires Courage! I find those three words about as compelling and impacting as the late M. Scott Peck's opening statement, "Life is difficult." in his best selling classic, The Road Less Traveled.

Indeed, true freedom does require courage. I picked up this thought from a fellow responding on one of the Yahoo groups I subscribe to about Vandwelling. One individual posted about his solution to acquiring a van type vehicle to travel and live in and others were weighing in with their thoughts on the subject.

Steve A., posted his contribution to the subject and it went like this, I quote him:

. . . I avoid debt like the plague. I count being debt-free as important as regular maintenance. A credit card for emergencies is wise, but don't trade your freedom to the banksters except as a last resort. Debt = slavery, and it will destroy your peace of mind. Rent is also a losing proposition, helping to pay someone else's mortgage. No property means no property taxes. Van dwelling is considered hostile by the authorities because they can't stand the thought of people not being chained to the economic "system" and not slaving to pay taxes. Freedom requires courage, which is why van dwellers are the most interesting and thinking people you will find.

I think it's important to clarify that van dwelling or full-time RVing people do not evade taxes. They simply choose to avoid paying any tax they feel they are not legally bound to pay. So far, there is no "law of the land" that I know of that demands, commands or in any other legally binding way requires anyone to own real estate or help anyone else finance the other party's real estate and pay that party's real estate taxes through the rent they would pay to occupy the other party's real estate. In other words as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, "The legal right of an individual to decrease the amount of what would otherwise be his taxes or altogether avoid them, by means which the law permits, cannot be doubted." So, avoiding paying any taxes you are not legally bound to pay is fully sanctioned. This is not to be confused with evading taxes that you are subject to by law or tax code.

Many people make decisions and choices in life that are, all too often, influenced by misinformation, lack of knowledge, intimidation and fear. The tax codes and all the levels of taxation one may be subject to including local city or town, county, state and federal are voluminous and intimidating. Many people take the "safe" route and pay everything they believe they must pay. They live their lives believing they must live within the lines or inside the box that seems to be the standard established, once again, by an unknown committee of people or authority we refer to as "They."

That's the reason Steve A's comments and most significantly, the three words, "Freedom requires courage," really were meaningful to me.

Condemning the 1%

It never ceases to amaze me when people bad mouth and condemn the "so-called" 1% or the "Rich" people for not paying their fair share of taxes. The problem is, in probably 98% to 99% of the cases, the 1% have indeed paid their fair share as prescribed by law. And, why shouldn't they? They have been blessed with the good fortune to be wealthy. They can afford to pay their taxes. The problem is that those who haven't been as financially blessed see things through a "them and us" filter and pass judgment using a double standard. But, the wealthy pay CPA's and tax specialists to go over their finances with a fine tooth comb and prepare their tax returns taking every legal tax deduction, exemption and credit allowed by the current tax code of the current time. Most very wealthy people contribute more money annually to qualified charitable causes than the average family earns in a year and sometimes as much as many average families earn in a year.

I have a personal friend who is very wealthy. No! He's not a billionaire, not even close, but his net worth is still far more than most people could imagine. His church wanted to buy a new concert grand piano for some of the fine concerts and musical events the church sponsored and hosted. The piano was going to cost $35,000.00. Now, that's a lot of money. He knew the congregation couldn't raise that kind of money within any reasonable time. So, he told the pastor to present a fund raising proposal to the congregation to raise the money. This gave the congregation a feeling of "ownership" in the project; they had "skin" in the piano. They set a time limit to raise the funds. When the deadline was reached, a brand new $35,000.00 piano graced the front of the sanctuary. In fact, the congregation had only raised $10,000.00 of the $35,000.00 required for the purchase. My friend funded the other $25,000.00. However, the congregation never knew that. They believed they had raised those funds. My friend stipulated with the pastor of the church that his contribution was to be kept in total confidence and go to the pastor's grave with him or the deal was off. In other words, my friend wanted to remain anonymous and allow the rest of the congregation to believe they had achieved this worthwhile goal. 

This goes on everyday in our country, hundreds or perhaps thousands of time a day. So, why should these wealthy people not be able to take advantage of the tax laws as written? But, there are factions in our society that want to create divisiveness. It could be in government, religious organizations, educational institutions, the corporate world and other places including within families. The fact is that nearly 50% of the people in this country don't pay any taxes at all. They have no skin in the game, but they condemn those who do pay taxes for not paying enough. In fact, many of those who don't pay any taxes not only don't have any skin in the game, but their share is being paid by those who do pay. And, further, these same people are actually receiving financial benefits (often referred to as entitlements) from the tax funds of those who are paying their fair share. I'm not passing judgment against anyone. It is truly unfortunate that anyone finds them self in a financial or medical situation to need such financial benefits. However, my point is that those who are not paying any taxes are actually using the same laws to not pay any taxes that allow the wealthy people to avoid paying some taxes. It's one of those double standard situations I mentioned.

Freedom Requires Courage . . .

It truly does require courage. First, you must be willing to become educated and stop being influenced by those who are misinformed. Some one much wiser than me once told me when I was a young man, "If you want to learn how to make $100,000.00 per year, you have to listen to and learn from people who are making $100,000.00 per year. Do not expect ten people who each make $10,000.00 per year to show you how to make $100,000.00." Now, that sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Of course it does. That's because it is a simple truth and fact. And, most truths and facts can be broken down to the simplest and most common denominator. Don't get your tax information from hearsay and others who have never had to file taxes or who don't have to file taxes because their income is so small.

Second, freedom requires the courage to stop living in fear and being intimidated by the government (at all levels), in the case of taxes. Becoming educated in the tax knowledge that impacts your life is one way. "Knowledge is power!" Then you can't allow yourself to be intimidated by the people who you pay to work for you. Remember, every government employee, no matter at what government level and no matter what his or her job is, is paid from taxpayer money collected from the hard working, productive members of the private sector. Governments don't do anything that produces revenue. They get their money by collecting (or confiscating as they just did in Cypress) money from the private sector. The only place money is produced is in the private sector.

Every government at every level has a department of tax collection. The most feared agency in the U.S. is the Infernal Revenue Service at the federal level. I almost had to vomit while listening to some of the testimony, under oath, by the acting (forced to resign) head guy of the I.R.S. about this current scandal targeting specific kinds of organizations and individuals for political reasons. This is no different than the way dictatorships, communist and similar governments target their opponents and dissidents. If this man were a civilian in the private sector, he'd be facing a judge and a jury and probably facing a lot of years in prison for, among other things, perjury, obstructing justice and criminal negligence. Instead, he'll likely retire on a six-figure income with a bounty of additional benefits at taxpayer expense.

It requires courage to stand up for what's right and your personal freedom and my personal freedom are our right. It's not the amount of money we don't have that deprives us of our personal freedom. It's the amount of debt we get into that deprives us of that freedom. It's the misinformation, the lack of knowledge, the fear of the unknown that may befall us if we don't march in step with some authorities' drummer and buckling to intimidation of a variety of thugs in our society. It's not much different than "protection rackets" operated by organized crime lords. They just have different titles including I.R.S. agents, bill collectors, bankers, bosses, neighborhood bullies, police officers and you can add any other labels and titles you want to.

Yes, Steve A. is right, "Freedom requires courage . . ." People who choose to live free have to, at some point, take a stand in their own mind and heart. If you want to live free you have to define what that freedom looks like and how you define it. You have to determine the cost since you know that freedom is never free. You must stop being intolerant of others. Some of the others are the people who have become known as the "1%." Sure, there are some real greedy, exploitive, uncaring people in that group. But, remember, you may be partially or even completely living your current lifestyle because of the generosity 1% or the businesses they created that provide jobs. And, believe it or not, if it were to be your dream and goal to become a member of the 1% you could do it (a lot easier than winning a half billion dollar PowerBall lottery). So, you might actually become one of those that a lot of people loath and condemn. Are you really a bad person?

You'll have to prepare yourself by learning all you can about the choices you are making. That knowledge becomes the power to face the thugs, their intimidation and not fear the unknown because you're making it known. This may take you days, weeks, months or even years to fully achieve. You may not be ready or in a position to walk into your bosses office tomorrow and tell him or her to "take this job and shove it." That's probably not the best way to do it, anyway. Then you have to decide on a myriad of details. Where you'll live. How much space you'll need. Will it be a fixed location or on wheels? How much money will you require to live as you've outlined your living free lifestyle? Where will that money come from? What things will you pursue with your freedom? And there will be other things you'll have to determine. Then you can begin making the changes and moving toward your living free goal.

Freedom is both intoxicating and additive. I know very few people who ever want to go back to their former lifestyle once they have experienced living free. While I'm still becoming acquainted with a number of people who identify themselves as van dwellers, I have found them to be one of the most interesting groups of people I've encountered in my lifetime. They are all very individual. They are intelligent and resourceful men and women of all ages from young adults to Golden Agers, from a variety of backgrounds and careers and they all find interesting ways to support their lifestyles. And the thing they all have in common is that they love their freedom.

Be Courageous! Live Free! 

Photo-of-the-Week #107 - The Symbol of Freedom and Controversy, Washington, DC, May, 2006

It was seven years ago. It was dusk. I was in Washington, DC attending the Book Expo America trade show; the largest trade show for the book publishing industry in the U.S. The show was actually at the DC Convention Center. I shot this photo from the area surrounding the Capitol Building near Union Station and the U.S. Post Office building on Capitol Hill.

Photos of this building fill me with bittersweet thoughts and mixed emotions. On the one hand it is the symbol of "freedom," as defined by what most people describe as the greatest experiment in a functional republic and democracy the world have ever known throughout the thousands of years of civilization. On the other hand, it is also the seat of scandal, controversy and exploitation - all three in many forms. As an idealistic youth studying world history and American history and due to my lack of experience, limited knowledge of the world and naiveté, I believed in mother, apple pie, baseball and the American flag completely and without questioning. This building, the White House and the other great government buildings of Washington, DC represented what I understood as good, as true freedom and The American Way.

My views began to change a bit when I HAD to register with the Selective Service (Draft Board) at 18. My college and graduate school years opened my mind even more as I began to understand "critical thinking" and my view of our government began changing dramatically when I HAD to serve in the military at age 24. I chose to "voluntarily" enlist in the U.S. Air Force because I could serve my county in my chosen career in the recording industry in Washington, DC. I was right in the thick of it all. My view of Washington, DC and our great American experiment changed forever during and after this experience. Now, 40 years after that Air Force experience I have grown wiser, more realistic and pragmatic.

I'm still glad and thankful I was fortunate enough to be born in this country and I'm glad and proud I served my country. But, the flaws in our government and our system are so pronounced to me at this time that the future concerns me. No, not my future. I know what my future is and I don't have a lifetime ahead of me, only the natural culmination of a life lived. My concerns are for the future generations. Perhaps, sometimes it's just better to go along with the false notion that "what you don't know can't hurt you," and just go through life fat, dumb and happy. No! That's not right! I'm glad I didn't go down that road.  

A New Look!

Welcome to the new look for the Living Free . . . blog. It's been a while since I've done anything to the graphic appearance of the blog, so I thought it was about time.

My regrets for being a little lax in posting new content over the past couple weeks. As you can see by the tabs on the left side of the blog, I've begun categorizing content to provide expanded information. This categorized content will be accessible directly from the Living Free blog or by niche audiences going directly to those sites.

It has become my prime interest to expand my writing endeavors. You can tell by the titles of the tabs where my writing interests will focus. So, this is an evolutionary and developmental process. While I've covered all of the topics as part of the Living Free blog, it just seems a natural process of spinning them off into their own topical areas.

All of the content of the other categorized tabs will be previewed on the main Living Free blog with a link to the rest of the post content in the various categories. Posts specifically about my Living Free philosophy will still be posted in full right here.

I've attempted to make the new look of the blog easier to read and navigate. The background is not one of my own photographs as the last background photo was. I've migrated the earlier photograph to my travel category since it fulfills that purpose better over there. This new background photo is a stock background I've put in place temporarily. I wasn't able to locate an appropriate photo that represented my visual image of Living Free in my own photo files. I may not have one. So, until I take more photos and find one that fills the bill, I'll use this stock background.

I'd appreciate your feedback.

How does this new look impact your?

Does it appear brighter?

Is it easier to read?

Is it easier to navigate?

Is it attractive at first impression?

Does it make you want to come back for future content?

Do you have any other thoughts about the appearance and navigation?

Your assistance is very valuable since I want to make this blog as user friendly with valuable and useable content.

Thanks for bearing with me as I make these changes and, hopefully, what you'll find to helpful improvements.

Because I Can . . .

I have likely mentioned in an earlier post that I have coordinated an annual retreat for a group of professional speaker friends of mine for the past 12 years. By definition, a professional speaker is someone who gets paid a fee for presenting a keynote speech, conducting a seminar, facilitating a workshop or presenting a humorous program for some kind of group, corporation, institution or government agency. They generally earn all, most or a substantial amount of their annual income from their speaking services. We call this the Veteran Speakers Retreat because all of the speakers who attend (including their spouses) have been presenting for at least a couple decades. But, in truth, we are a bunch of seniors in the third-half of our lives and have now developed interests other than building our speaking businesses.

Part of the planning process for each year's retreat is determining what topics we will discuss at our interactive morning sessions. We only have sessions in the morning because we want to go out and play the rest of the time. And, of course, the sessions have nothing to do with the speaking business, they just have to be fun. So, as the committee was brainstorming ideas for a theme and coming up with ideas and titles for nine of the ten sessions (one session is the same each year, so we don't have to consider anything for that time slot) a number of ideas came out. Lo and behold, the idea "because I can . . ." was put on the table. At first, it didn't mean much to most of us. Then the person who contributed the idea offered this explanation.

It seems that two of the people on the planning committee had been in South Carolina at a speaking engagement and on the way back to their home in Virginia, they decided to drive across the state of North Carolina to Charlotte to visit with another member of the planning committee and her humorous husband. At breakfast the next morning, the female member of the visiting couple poured some cereal into a bowl, added some fruit and began to eat the cereal and fruit without adding any milk. This struck the female of the host couple to be a bit peculiar. Whoever heard of eating cereal without milk, she thought. So, curiosity got the best of her and she asked the visiting female why she was eating her cereal and fruit without milk. Here was the reply . . .

"Because I can!"

Now, think about it? That is a perfect answer. There doesn't need to be any other detailed explanation. It gets right to the fact of the matter. She eats cereal and fruit without milk because she can. So, we adopted that as the theme of the weekend for the retreat.

Now, of course, just like in the news, you hear the new buzz phrase "back story," meaning, so, this is the story, but what is the actual story behind  the story, what led up to the story. So, since we determined that we all do things "because we can," there has to be some kind of background to whatever it is that "you can (do)." We then took the concept of the "back story" and created four sessions from that, all related back to "because I can." I might add that the female member of the visiting couple does seminars and workshops on storytelling. Thus, this all comes together in a nice, neat package. The four sessions we created were titled:

Back Story: Surprises That Got You Here . . . (the unexpected that got you here this place in your life)

Back Story: Difficulties That Got You Here . . . (difficult challenges in your life)

Back Story: Blessings That Got You Here . . . (divine providence, people, events)

Back Story: Stupid Things That Got You Nowhere . . . (those stupid ideas and choices you shouldn't have made)

It's your turn now. What are the things you do in your life just "Because you can?" Everyone of us has at least one thing, but probably many. For example, I like oatmeal (back to cereal again), however, I drink almost no cow's milk any longer. I like my oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and real maple syrup (real as opposed to the maple flavored syrup made mostly with corn sugar and artificial flavor and color). No milk, thank you very much!

Here's another example. When I pick up a new book, I don't just open it up and read it. I look at the title and sub-title. Then I read the back cover. If it's a hard cover book with a dust jacket, I next read about the author on the back jacket flap. Then I read about the book on the front jacket flap. If I'm still interested, I check the copyright date to see how old the information is. Then I look over the chapter and section titles in the table of contents. If something there peaks my interest, I turn to the index and look for specific subjects, topics and key words. If there is no index, that's pretty much the kiss of death for that book. If I find the subjects, topics and key words I'm interested in I'll flip to look at some of those pages. That's when I'll finally decide if I want to buy and read the book. My time is valuable and my money is hard earned, so before I'll invest any of either of those commodities I want to be reasonably sure I won't be wasting either of them. And I do this, why? Because I can.

Of course, I have lots of back stories about many things that have brought me to where I am today and can do all the things I choose to do, just "because I can."

Because You Can . . .

Take a little time and think about some of the things that others may view as a bit quirky or eccentric about you. These are things you do "because you can." They are some of the things that make you a "designer original." There is no one exactly like you in the world, even if you have a twin or a couple triplet siblings. It's also one of the wonderful things about being human. We each have the freedom and capability of doing certain things in certain ways, probably different than anyone else you know. You were blessed with this right and freedom.

Grab a pad and write down three things (or more if you want to) that you do "because you can." Think of things that others may glance at you strangely when you do whatever is. Perhaps it's something others envy or admire you for. Maybe it's something that grates on someone else's nerves like scraping your fingernails down an old fashioned chalk board (they were mostly black in my early school days and were called blackboards).

After you've written them down, look at them and relish these unique things just "because you can."

Back Stories . . .

Everyone has a back story. To be more accurate, everyone has many back stories. What are some of yours? Many of my back stories are based around the very diverse, interesting (at least to me) and, at times, exciting and even a little glamorous career I've had in audio and video recording, production and sound services. I'm proud of founding the radio station at the college I attended that is still on the air and has since become part of the curriculum of the (now) university, 46 years later. I'm proud that my little budding media production company in Washington, DC had the exclusive contract to produce all the radio public service announcements keeping the public informed with the agency responsible for the U.S. bicentennial celebration in 1976. Each event, whether in your professional career, your family, your community or your own personal interests is a part of the big back story that is your life.

Back Story: Surprises That Got You Here . . .

Take your pad and pencil again and write down three (or more) "Surprises" that got you to where you are in life today. Perhaps it was how you met your spouse, if you have one. Perhaps, it was preparing for one occupation or profession and then some surprise, a serendipity, came along and took you in a direction you had never considered and became the thing that carried you to where you are today. Believe me, there are so many you could write a book of your back stories.

After you write them down, just a couple brief sentences, reflect on them. How did they change your life? Where might you be had this "Surprise" not have happened? Who might you be married to? What might your career look like? You get the idea.

Back Story: Difficulties That Got You Here . . .

No one gets through this life without some adversities. You've heard it said, I'm sure, and there is even a book by this title, "Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?" Other people express it as "S**t Happens!" What are the "Difficulties," the tough challenges, the things that came along and changed your life in a way you could have never guessed you'd ever face. Again, grab your pad and pencil and write down three (or more) of them. Just a few brief sentences to remind you of these events and challenges.

Once again, after you have written them down, take some time to reflect on them. You are today who you are and where you are, in some part, larger or smaller, because of these "Difficulties" you faced and had to deal with, like it or not.

Back Story: Blessings That Got You Here . . .

Yes Sir! Yes Ma'am! It doesn't matter whether you are religious, spiritual or a non-believer, you have been blessed. Just think about of all the places in the world you could have been born and from all the parents who could have joined a sperm and egg cell. You are the totally unique individual you are. Maybe you were born in abject poverty and that made you want to do everything you could to get out of that condition as an adult. Maybe you were born in a very wealthy family who spoiled you rotten and you wanted out of that situation. There are so many circumstances it's impossible to even consider how unique your "Blessings" are. Take that pencil in hand and jot down a few descriptive sentences about three (or more) "Blessings" in your life. Perhaps, you've never even thought of them as "Blessings" before.

Now, take some time and reflect on these "Blessings" and how they got you to where you are today. Maybe you've thought about this in the past. But, then again, maybe not. It's time to start realizing just how "Blessed" you are no matter what your circumstances at the moment.

Back Story: Stupid Things That Got You Nowhere . . .

Now, this back story can either be fun or embarrassing or both. Let's face it! No one goes through life without doing some really stupid things. Oh, they seemed reasonable, logical, rational and like the right thing at the time, but when the rubber hit the road, we got nowhere. We were the black patch left on the road as the car sped away. Yes, these are the things we really want to forget and we hope no one else remembers them either. But, alas, they are part of our lives and, while they got us nowhere, hopefully as we look back now we can laugh at ourselves and wonder just what we were thinking at the time. So, for the last time, grab that pad and pencil and write down three of these "Stupid" things that got you nowhere. It's not likely that you only had three or less. None of us are that good. It could have been a relationship, business decision, job change, moving to a new home or leaving an old home or taking a vacation that shouldn't have happened. Whatever they are write them down.

And, as before, take a little time to reflect on these "Stupid" things and think about what the lesson was from each one of them. If you can, have a good laugh on yourself. Believe me, you are not even close to being alone. No one wants to really admit they made some "Stupid" decisions and did things they really don't want to bring to light. But believe me, each one made an important impression on who you are and how you, somehow, got to where you are today.

Because You Can . . .

So, here's the thing. You are the sum total of everything you've ever done, all your blessings, every relationship you've ever had, no matter how long or short the duration, every decision you've ever made, every challenge or difficulty you ever faced and, yes, every stupid thing you've ever done. Relish this. It is who you are and why you are precisely where you are today. And, here's the best part. If you're not who you want to be or doing what you want to do or being where you want to be . . . you have the freedom to change any or all of it "Because You Can . . ."

Photo-of-the-Week #106 - The Grand Canyon, South Rim, June 2010

Here it is. Sooner or later you knew I had to put up a photo of the Grand Canyon. There's not much to say. It's AWESOME!

Believe it or not, in all the years I've traveled around the U.S., this was my first time to stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon and look down and see the natural wonder people have been telling me about for years. Okay, I've actually seen the Grand Canyon many times over the years . . . from 35,000 feet above while hurtling through the sky in a big silver tube.

Unfortunately, on my first visit to the big hole, I only had a limited amount of time. So, it was just an introduction. But, since this visit, I have made the acquaintance of someone who owns some land not far from the Grand Canyon. Actually, I think the property is on the road that goes from Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon. So, I'm hoping the next time I visit, I'll have permission to park and camp on that property for a few days while I explore more of the canyon.  

Photo-of-the-Week #105 - Signs of the Times, New Creek, West Virginia, March 2012

What can I say? This is a true sign of the times. I'm in a small rural valley community in Mineral County, West Virginia. This is a place where people made their living for the last couple centuries farming, mining coal deep underground, timber harvesting and making paper at the historic Luke, Maryland paper mill on the Potomac River.

While all of the industries I just mentioned have been downsizing and declining in this region (as well as many other parts of the U.S.), two new industries have been evolving and expanding. Fifty years ago there were few, if any, electricity generating turbines in the U.S. and the first Walmart (#1) opened in Bentonville, Arkansas. Today this photo is representative of what is happening not only all over the U.S., but around the world as Walmart has become, from it's humble beginnings in a small rural community of 2,900, the largest retail organization in the world. The family controlled chain operates 8,500 stores in 15 countries. The store in this photo is one of the smaller Walmart 24 hour Super Centers. It has, of course, changed the landscape of retailing and has been the scourge of the small "Main Street, Mom and Pop" retail industry across the U.S.

The windmill farm on the mountain top behind the Walmart represents the controversial clean energy initiative in the U.S. This windmill farm has 23 of these huge units. Further south, on the ridge of another mountain, is, yet, another windmill farm larger than this one. These are actually small in comparison to a number of windmill farms I've seen in rural areas of the mid-west and the western regions of the U.S. While I don't know the actual employment and financial impact this ancient form of energy, but new form of electric generation, has had on the coal industry, I'm sure it has its significance in the big picture.

Personally, I'm torn. I shop at Walmart and appreciate the convenience. But, as a small business owner and operator (not retail, thankfully) throughout my lifetime, it bothers me to see it turning historic downtown districts into derelict ghost towns and taking away from the fabric of communities when you shopped at and supported your friends and neighbors who knew their customers and treated them well. The same goes for the windmills. They are becoming an eyesore just as power poles webbed with the electrical grid, radio and TV broadcast towers, TV antennas on homes and cellular telephone towers became eyesores. Yet, can we afford to keep impacting our environment and using natural resources like coal, oil and natural gas at ever expanding rates before we pollute the Earth beyond its ability to continue to support the human species, not to mention depleting these resources?

It's a Catch-22. As I said in an earlier post, "Too Many People."     

TED Talk Conversation About Freedom

One of the people whose mailing list I'm on is continually sending me links to interesting sites on the Web. Now, I have to be honest, I'm typically only interested in a few of the links he sends to all of us. But, that's okay, because Charles finds things I wouldn't normally stumble onto - even with my Stumbleupon account. So, he enhances my life through his own curiosity.

The other day he sent me a link to a TED Talk site. What he wanted people to see and be aware of was a TED Talk video by David Pogue, the tech writer for the New York Times. It was entitled "10 Top Time Saving Tech Tips." Well, it was good stuff. I like Pogue's column in the Times and I found his time saving tips not only interesting, but useful and I've been adopting them. Good stuff!

But, while I was on that TED site page, I scrolled down and found an interesting TED Conversation , a text part of the TED site. It grabbed my interest instantly and I had to read it and read all the comments from all kinds of people around the world. The TED conversation was posed as a question. Here is that question:

"What is your definition of freedom?"

I believe in an earlier post I presented an idea to you that I gained from my author friend, John Applegath, from Durham, New Hampshire. John, author of the book that has inspired me for years, Working Free, began some discussion group sessions in the Durham and Portsmouth area that he called, "Big Questions." Well, I liked that idea, too and I've played with it for a few years. But, this question posed by Caitlin on the TED site definitely qualifies and a "Big Question."

The replies and comments and even a few debates between several of those commenting, were stimulating. Caitlin's introduction to the conversation was short and to the point. Here is what she said:

"Every now and then we all question our own sense of freedom and what it is to be 'free'. How it is to live in the 'land of the free'. As much as it can sometimes be a little deep to talk about with peers, I thought this would be the best place to propose a discussion on your personal opinion of what it is to be 'free'.

See, a lot of people I've asked define 'freedom' as the opportunity to do what ever you want... I then follow this with asking, 'If everyone did as they wished, you'd then be bound by a constant fear of the actions of others, would you not? Then how 'free' would you feel?'

I simply want to start this conversation not because I believe 'freedom' is a definable concept, but because everyones' opinions of the idea is different and it's interesting to hear those opinions."

You've heard me expound on my definition of freedom and more specifically, how it applies to my lifestyle philosophy of "living free" many times throughout this blog. Believe me! I'm the first to admit that my definition is very personal and it's how I define it for myself. It may have absolutely no resemblance to your personal definition. Yet, in some manner, the concept of freedom and how it is defined, broadly or narrowly, impacts ever human being, bar none.

So, this is Caitlin's Big Question from the TED site. I'm passing this on to you. I invite you to comment on it as hundreds did on the TED site. I invite you to debate (on friendly terms, please). I will pass no judgment, nor will I necessarily reply to all or even any of your comments. But, I am interested in how you, my readers, around the world define the concept of Freedom - personally, societally and politically. There is no right or wrong here. The only intention is to gain ideas and insights from one another.

So, I hope enough of you are motivated to want to jump in on this and share your thoughts and ideas. It should be very interesting and informative if enough people share.

The comment "floor" is open to you.