Discipline is praised by the world—but rarely understood.

 

From Nature to Nature

We are a part of nature, and eventually, we return to nature.

However, there is a journey between these two points—from birth to death. It is an emotional journey of relationships, struggles, choices, thoughts, failures, discoveries, and a quest for meaning.

But somewhere in that journey lies the concept of independence.

When I speak of independence, I am not talking only about physical or political independence. I am also talking about the freedom of our thoughts.

India's independence from British rule took place on 15th August 1947. It was a momentous occasion—the freedom of a nation.

But it makes me wonder:

Did the freedom of the nation mean the freedom of every mind within the nation?

I don't think so.

Political freedom can be gained through movements, struggles, and historical change. But freedom of thought is not the same.

It cannot simply be given to us. We need to discover it.

We need to question what we are told, examine what we think we know, challenge our way of thinking, and have the courage to think outside the box.

This may be one reason why complete independence can never truly be achieved.

More importantly, perhaps it shouldn't.

We cannot completely depend on everything around us. But neither can we completely separate ourselves from everything.

We depend on nature for life.

We depend on society in many ways.

We depend on relationships for emotional connection.

Maybe it is not complete dependence or complete independence.

It is interdependence.

• To know when we need others without becoming completely dependent on them.
• To stand on our own without believing that we need nobody.
• To embrace connection without surrendering our ability to think.

Perhaps this is what independence is really about—to be free within ourselves while still being connected to the world around us.

We come from nature.

Throughout our lives, we seek to understand ourselves and the world around us.

Then, eventually, we return to nature.

Maybe this is where we learn our lessons about freedom.

Independence Is More Than a Word

       

I believe even a small amount of rational freedom in our minds can make a country more rational.

A nation is not solely its land, government, laws, or flag.

The people are the nation.

We do not need independence to remain merely a word that we celebrate every year. We must understand what it asks from us.

Political independence provides us with the freedom to govern ourselves. But rational freedom gives us the ability to ask:

Why do we believe this?

Why should we accept this as a fact?

Is this fair?

Does this harm anyone?

Can we think differently?

A truly free person should not become a person who simply rejects everything. They should have the freedom to ask questions, the patience to listen to other people's explanations, and the courage to accept a better idea—even when it goes against their own.

And when many people learn to think rationally, the country itself becomes more rational. Maybe this is the independence that we still have to achieve.

We don't need only the word “independent.”

We need the thinking, responsibility, and humanity behind it.

A nation can be declared politically independent on a specific date.

But the freedom of people's minds is a journey that never truly ends.

And when we look deeper into it, everything is connected like a chain. It all starts with the individual. The individual becomes part of a group. Groups become a society. Society develops into institutions and a state.

And eventually, these individuals, groups, institutions, and societies together become a nation.

If we look deeper into it, everything is connected like a chain. At the end, it connects to human institutions and to the individual.

Maybe the chain begins with something as small as the freedom of one person's mind.

A rational individual can contribute to a rational group.

Rational groups can contribute to a rational society.

And rational societies can contribute to a rational state and nation.

 AGAIN

We came from nature.

We live our journey between birth and death.

And eventually, we return to nature.

Maybe somewhere within that journey, we learn that independence is not simply about being free from something.

It is about becoming free enough to think, question, connect, choose, and become ourselves.

                                          By sumie..