Freedom defined

My dad asked me to explain what freedom means to me.

I answer:

I think the definition of freedom
Lies in which way you look at it
Freedom is often an illusion
You are only as free as you imagine yourself to be
For me, freedom lies within
It is the closing of holes which over time tarnish the soul
Holes in the soul which are controlled by attachments
Forming webs of suffering which we get caught in
For me freedom is to be free from suffering, bit by bit
To get to a place, where nothing external can break through and reach me
Its easy to say, but the most difficult thing in the world
One may argue that to not have the external affect you
Is to not live at all.
But the strongest personalities in the world
Have let the outside affect them to enable them to rise above it.
They have gone on to create something significant for themselves and the world
The popular notion of freedom is to give up all
For to give up all worldy posessions and people who are near to you
Requires a hermit out of you.
I feel that we are all called to be free in our own ways
In our own special paths which are laid down for us
And this is the way which will lead us to be free
To find the road which is blurred by our conditioning
And the environment in which we live
I think freedom lies in every step
In every choice and to know you made the right one
Or to learn an important lesson from the wrong one
It is the travel to the gate and not the gate standalone at the end
It is to break down the conditioning
By constantly questioning, challenging and seeking new experiences,
By overcoming that which is unpleasant
To find your true self.
It is a continuous struggle and calls for introspection at every point.
The temporal is constantly inextricably linked with it
There is no escaping worldy ways and rules which help define us
We will always be bound by duty, by responsibility
But, I believe these become a little easier to understand.
I don't deny it is still a struggle to decide.
These are only tools in our hands which cannot be thrown away
They are vital to help us create a means to an end.
And an end I will find.