I've been thinking about the convergence of freedom and Truth lately, and how one without the other just doesn't work. If you don't have freedom, then you can't choose to discover and align with Truth, and if you don't have Truth, then your freedom is just baseless chaos.
I mean when people say it's a free country, what does that really mean? Some would say pretty much anything except yelling fire in a theater (which will definitely show you what chaos looks like pretty quickly).
The Founding Fathers professed freedom, but it seemed to me it was always a means for some ends. In other words, we created a country that offered freedom from tyranny, but that wasn't the whole point. I do recall something about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness too. And liberty is essentially ordered freedom.
As Bob said, “Like any other form of freedom, it cannot merely be "freedom from." If it isn't simultaneously freedom for, then it is worthless. It equates to nihilism, or freedom to be absurd (which is no freedom at all).”
So in a world of too many choices, freedom alone has little value. We can only give a free life significance when we align with Truth. And that alignment will always require a commitment of some sort.
Think of the deep satisfaction a couple has when they have been married for many years, and can reflect on all their trials and tribulations together through the commitment they made to each other. If each of them were free to do what they wanted, the results certainly would not be the same.
So in the bigger picture, we are all on a metaphysical adventure that our deeper nature yearns to align with. Some may deny this or marginalize it, but it's right in front of our noses. Yet, in our feeling-inspired culture, most would find this as stifling: you mean I can't do what I feel like doing?
The irony is commitment to Truth gives you more freedom because you’re no longer distracted by the things in life that are unimportant and frivolous. It hones your attention and focus, directing you toward what is most effective at making you healthy and happy. Commitment to Truth also makes decision-making easier and removes any fear of missing out; knowing that what you already have is good enough, why would you ever stress about chasing more? And it allows you to focus intently on what's important and achieve a greater degree of life satisfaction than you otherwise would.
The paradox of choice is less is more, but we just need to affirm that the more is what we want. And what is the more? Possible answers: (a) fame, fortune, and your own YouTube channel; (b) salvation, liberation, evolution and love; or (c) frozen yogurt.