You have true freedom when you can act without being acted upon by negative consequences.

That’s a pretty good definition of freedom. In those circumstances, you can do anything you like and find satisfaction in the accomplishment.

This is not rocket science, but it does seem to escape most of us. The fact that it’s that simple does give you hope that maybe by taking this perspective on freedom — actually on life itself, you might find great peace and happiness. The exceptions would be when others abuse their freedom, or when nature works to cause you injury or grief.

There are some things to keep in mind, of course. So the idea is to be free to do everything without backlash of some kind. That means you have to be careful. Here’s a short list of things that come to mind:

• No infringing the rights (freedom) of others
• No addictions
• Always tell the truth
• Always be kind, tolerant, forgiving, patient, etc etc
• Never think yourself more important than someone else
• Keep your body healthy
• Keep your mind healthy

If you have an idea that should be added, please put it in the comments below.