Your Road To Freedom
YOUR ROAD TO FREEDOM.
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost
Harry Browne wrote 23 books that sold more than 2 million copies. He was the libertarian candidate for President in 1996 and again in 2000. An investment advisor for 30 years, his first book, published in 1070, was”How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation. In that book Harry foresaw that the disastrous monetary policy of the government would lead to the devaluation of the dollar. This idea was at odds with many economists. Nonetheless, the book made the New York Times best seller list. Browne’s theory proved accurate. Today it takes 8 dollars to buy what one dollar purchased in 1970.
Three years later he wrote How I found Freedom In An Unfree World. In that book he showed readers how to take responsibility for their own lives. It’s still considered a modern ‘self help’ classic. The book had a profound impacts on my life. Rather than going back and forth to the book with quotation marks, I’m simply going to say that much of what follows is based on the words and ideas expressed by Browne in that book.
WHAT IS FREEDOM?
The simplest definition is this; freedom is the ability to live your life in your own way. Being “free,” by that definition, is rare. It’s something most people only dream of and few attain. BUT imagine being able to to escape the 9 to 5 grind. Imagine being free from destructive relationships, unwanted social commitments, and dead end jobs.
Thank’s to Harry Browne, I did it. You can do it too. And you can start today. You already have all the tools you need but don’t realize you have them. In the next few pages I’lll tell you how I became free to live my life in my own way. I’lll give you the titles of the books that helped me find that freedom. I’ll share with you some anticdotes and advice. And above all, I’ll encourage you in the most important quest of your life. The quest to live your life in your own way.
BLIND LUCK BEATS SKILL ANJD DARING NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN
I’ve always been a very lucky man. I was fortunate to have grown up in a small town in Iowa. My parents weren’t rich or famous, but they, and the community in which I lived, taught me that hard work and thrift were good things. In fact, hard work and thrift are the basis of every ones independence. (Read the classic little book, “The richest Man In Babylon.) I struggled thru high school but eventually earned a Ph.D from a real University, so I’ve read a lot of books. But it was years later that I discovered the book that changed my life and made me a free man.
One day a friend handed me a book and said, “Here, I think you should read this.” The book was Harry Browne’s HOW I FOUND FREEDOM IN AN UNFREE WORLD. I had never heard of the book. Well, as the old saying goes, “When the pupil is ready the teacher arrives.” The teacher was Harry Browne. I took the book home and read it. I mean, I read the entire book cover to cover without stopping. I finished the book I knew without the slightest doubt the life I was living was about to change. I started on my road to freedom.
IT CAN’T BE THAT EASY.
“Now wait just a minute. I can hear you saying “It can’t be that easy. How about money? What about commitments? Not to mention social obligations. What will people think? How will I make a living? Where will I live?” Those questions are exactly the reasons, you, yes you, are probably not free. You’re waiting for someone or some thing to set you free. You’re looking for that “get out of jail free card.” (It’s already in your pocket but it isn’t free.)
WORDS OF WISDOM.
After countless meals in Chinese restaurants I’ve come across only 3 fortunes I found worth keeping. They’re pertinent. 1. “Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it.” (My friend, wishing is not a strategy. YOU must take action if you are to be free.) 2. “Finding ones self in an uncomfortable situation is usually voluntary.” (You alone hold the key to the chains that bind.) 3. (You’ll have to wait until the end of my story.)
BORN FREE ISN’T JUST A STORY ABOUT LIONS.
The fact is, you were born free. But little by little YOU traded that freedom away. Your peers, your teachers, your community, your parents, and Madison Avenue combined to convince you that you should be someone THEY wanted you to be. This desire to mold you into something you are not may be particularly true of your mate, lover, spouse, boss or the government. But what THEY want you to be may not be the person YOU want to be. If you’re already self actualized and never feel conflicted then go back to the Intro and enjoy the poems and pictures. If not, read on.
“WE DECLARE THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT.”
As my first act of freedom I simply declared myself free. This is THE key point in the book that most people don’t understand. ONLY YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOURSELF FREE. It requires no one else’s approval or permission, no joint effort on the part of some committee, no mass community campaign. That’s the beauty of the thing. It only requires something you already have. YOU.
FREEDOM MAY NOT BE FOR YOU.
Beware. Freedom is not a universal desire. Freedom doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, it doesn’t work for most people. That’s why some guy has my old job and sits in a cubicle day after day. As to why they sit there you might want to read Erich Fromm’s “Escape From Freedom.” It explains that “Unfree World” part of Harry Browne’s book. And if freedom isn’t for you, well, that’s ok as long as it’s YOUR choice. (Don’t worry about remembering the titles of these books right now. All the books I’m going to mention are listed at the end of my story and all are available as inexpensive paperbacks at amazon.com)
FREEDOM–THE MAIN PITFALL.
It took several months but gradually I divested myself of the things that had held me prisoner. I vividly remember the first morning I awoke and realized I was a free man. The reality was frightening. I had the rest of my life ahead of me to pretty much do with as I chose AND NOBODY BUT MYSELF TO BLAME IF I SCREWED IT UP! Now that’s an awesome responsibility. The fact is, the un-free person relishes the thought that he or she has someone else to blame for their own bad decisions, mis- steps, mistakes, and mishaps. The willingness to take responsibility for one’s own life is the esential second step on your road to freedom. It’s also the cure for most of the moral and financial problems facing the USA and much of the world today. (More on that later.)
From time to time I’ve fallen off the “freedom wagon” and found myself once again in the wrong relationship, or bogged down with meaningless social commitments and useless possessions. But I was able to correct those mistakes because I knew I could do it. I knew I could do it because I’d done it that very first time. It didn’t just make it easier, it made it inevitable. And re-reading Browne’s book from time to time was essential.
DEADLINES AND COMMITMENTS.
Perhaps there are just so many obligations or “traps” as Harry Browne calls them, that you feel overwhelmed. Remember, “The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” No mater how daunting this may seem, you can do it. While in high school I landed a part-time job in an auto body repair shop. I’ll never forget my first task. A farmer brought in this enormous old pick to be painted. My job was to sand the entire truck in preparation for painting. I was overwhelmed. So much truck! The boss noticed my frustration. He walked over to me and said, “Son, stop looking at the whole truck. Just start with the first fender and keep going. Pretty soon it will be all sanded.” He was right. “Life by the inch is a cinch.” Attain your freedom inthe same way.
WHAT TO LEAVE IN–WHAT TO LEAVE OUT.
Don’t worry about suddenly being able to do only those things you want to do. You may have been held prisoner for so long you don’t even know just what you want to do. So start by just working on eliminating those things in your life the little things that you KNOW FOR CERTAIN you don’t want to do. And the sooner you eliminate them the less costly that elimination will be.
There’s a price to be paid for every distasteful obligation you manage to shed. Suppose you really hate your every Friday night commitment to get together with “the gang.” Just stop doing it. The price you’ll pay may be the disdain or outright resentment of “the gang.” The reward will be that your Friday nights are now free to do with as you choose. And that might include still getting together with the Friday night gang, but only when YOU want to. Start on the small things and work up to the big ones.
THE BIG ONES.
Ending a marriage, kicking the kids out of the nest, finding a new job, moving to a new town are big moves. YOU CAN DO THIS. The price may be high; Alimony. Child support. Temporary loss of income. Occasional regret. But occasional regret is better than constant frustration. And the sooner the price is paid the less that price will be.
This fact is best illustrated by the story of the woman who goes to her attorney and says, “I’ve only been married one year but all ready I hate my husband and I’m going to kill him.” “My God”, says the attorney. “Don’t do it. At best you’ll get twenty years in prison for manslaughter.” Years later that same attorney is invited to the woman’s twentieth wedding anniversary. As the evening is drawing to a close the attorney notices his friend standing out on the balcony all alone and sobbing. “What’s the problem,” asks the attorney. The woman turns to her attorney and says, “Had I killed him twenty years ago, tonight I’d be a free woman.” (And had she divorced him after that first year, before the kids and all the community property came into existence, her/his alimony would have been affordable.)
STUFF
Divesting yourself of things that don’t bring you happiness is always a good idea. This is particularly true of “stuff.” You know, all those possessions both large and small that we’ve acquired over the years. “Stuff” we needed, stuff we just had to have. () Walk into any Wal-Mart and look around. The world is full of stuff you do not need. And every time you buy some of it another barnacle is added to your freedom ship. In the words of an old cowboy friend in Wyoming, “Never buy anything you’re better off living without.” (And if you’re better off living without it, why are you buying it?) Worse, most people buy things they don’t need on credit. Thus, they spend their lives paying off a credit card full of charges they didn’t need to make.
THE WORLD IS FULL OF WARDENS
Beware! The world is also full of people who think their freedom is dependent upon you sacrificing yours. These people are not free because they’re busy supervising you. This is most often true of demanding friends, lovers, spouses, and your boss. These people spend their entire lives trying to control the behavior of you and others. Funny. This means the Warden is perhaps the least free person in the prison. Click on “Advice to myself” for a more detailed discussion of this key point.
WHAT BOX?
Perhaps you’re thinking this all sounds like that old admonishment “think outside the box.” Wrong! It’s not a matter of thinking out side the box. The point is, THERE IS NO BOX. When you wake up tomorrow morning say to yourself, THERE IS NO BOX. Hold that thought all day. It will help you see all the boxes in which you’ve placed yourself only exist because you put yourself in them.
ARE WE THERE YET?
How will you know you’ve attained freedom? Simple. A free person finds themselves constantly choosing between equally attractive alternatives. Think about that. If you have to decide, do I go out to dinner with my spouses relatives, whom I don’t really like, or refuse to go and thus endure my spouses wrath for the next week. Its that you? Then you, my friend, are not a free person. You are choosing between equally UNATTRACTIVE alternatives. Heads you lose, tails you lose.
Choosing between equally ATTRACTIVE alternatives is the whole idea. It’s an important concept to be learned. An example of equally attractive alternatives might be something as simple as, “Do I order pizza delivered and curl up with a good book (or my mate) or do I go out to my favorite little French cafe?” Flip a coin. It’s win/win.
CAUSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND AFFILIATIONS
For the most part I avoid causes, organizations, and affiliations. My cause has been and remains the pursuit of my INDIVDUAL freedom. My freedom is not contingent upon the actions of others. Remember. Your freedom is only contingent upon you. People set out on causes are usually trying to change the world. I don’t need to change the world. I only need to change MY world.
RELIGION
It’s hard to understand how a hummingbird can migrate all the way from Mexico to my home in Jackson Hole. God’s will? Nature? Some grander scheme? My best guess about the whole thing is, who knows? As someone once said when asked if they believed in ghosts, “Of course not! But I wouldn’t do anything to piss them off.”
It’s not that I have trouble with the concept of a higher being. It’s when that concept of a higher being gets codified into an organized religion that problems begin. So, for the most part I distrust “Religion.” It can lead to all sorts of group think. In fact, most of the conflicts in the world today can be traced to religion. Few wars are now fought over territory. (Well, maybe the Chinese are at it again.) And radical muslims don’t recognize boundaries. They fight over a desire to propagate their religious belief world wide.
POLITICS
The ultimate group think is politics. I have many Liberal friends, many Conservative friends, many “middle of the roaders.” I vote but usually have to hold my nose because I distrust politicians. And nothing encourages a politician like voting for him/her. I don’t believe the government is the cause or the solution of our problems. WE are the cause AND the solution. Therefore I believe in minimal government. That makes me a Libertarian. ( As was Harry Browne.) Remember him? He’s the guy who wrote the book you’re going to get from Amazon.com.)
Many of my friends in both political camps accuse me of throwing away my vote by sometimes voting for a third party candidate with “no chance” of being elected. My response? You throw away your vote if you don’t vote for the candidate dYOU WANT to win. And you throw away your life if you’re living someone else’s.
TRUTHS MY FATHER TOLD ME
It was almost impossible to grow up in Iowa in the fifties and sixties without being aginst big goverment. Iowa WAS at that time THE Heartland and a long way from Washington, D.C. Hell, we thought Indiana was on the East coast. In fact, nobody from Iowa had actually ever met anybody from Indiana. My father taught me many valuable, often conservative, lessons. They usually came in the form of an old saying which was slightly twisted or one he made up but convinced me it was an old saying. For example he would often say, “Always look a gift horse in the mouth.” Excuse me? Well, it took years and years for that lesson to finally set in. (The most powerful word in advertising remains the word “free.”)
Another favorite was, “There are only two ways to deal with a woman and nobody knows either one of em.” Again, years and years and and still I forget. Speaking of women, he also warned me to “never own anything that eats or has to be painted.” But I stray. Back to politics and the gift horse. There ain’t one. Period. Tarp money? Stimulus money? Universal health care? Listen, the trouble with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money. And if capitalism is the unequal distribution of wealth, then communism is the equal distribution of misery. I know this for a fact. I’ve been to Russia, China, and Cuba.
I don’t trust politicians because, for the most part, what they say and what they do are usually in contradiction. Lincoln is generally considered the greatest president. So I will refer to him as my mentor and guide on things political. I will list but a few quotes attributed to Lincoln. If this list sounds like what any other politician is doing, well, you’re smoking better stuff than I’ve ever tried.
1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
3. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
4. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
5. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
6. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. (Sorry ladies.)
7. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
10. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
I am aware that it is generally accepted that these things were never actually said by Lincoln. In fact they were probably said by a Presbyterian minister named William Boetcker. Ok, maybe Lincoln didn’t say them. But he should have. And politicians should take them to heart. As should everyone who still values their freedom.
Think about it. These ten things that you “cannot do” are the exact things government tries TO DO! In fact, the political spectrum today can be divided into two groups. On one side, those who feel the government is the solution to all their problems. On the other, millions of citizens who are certain the government is the cause of all their problems. But politicians are not the problem. Voters are the problem. Think your president, senator or congress person is an idiot? Hey, the majority voted for him/her.
MY OLD MAN AGAIN. That reminds me. My father used to claim that “All things can be divided into two groups.” As his first example he would site the fact that all people can be divided into two groups as regards this claim of “two-ness.” Those who believe all things can be divided into two groups and those who don’t.” He also had a clever example of “invisible.” It was a bladeless knife with no handle. (I learned early on not to argue with my father.)
And we’re all familiar with that list of the three greatest lies. There are a few variations but my favorites are, 1, I’ll do it first thing Monday morning. 2, the checks in the mail, and 3, I promise I won’t… Now we can add a forth. It’s “Hi, I’m from the government. I’m here to help you.” Fact is, all I want the government to do is leave me alone. Of course, that’s the one thing they cannot do. They are in the business of controlling other peoples lives.
So why, you ask, would I want the government to “leave me alone.” I ask you honestly, what is it that you want the government to do FOR YOU that you can cannot do better FOR YOURSELF? Ok, protect our borders. Good example. The last time I returned from Costa Rica to Miami I had to show my passport and clear customs. As I was doing that hundreds of illegals were streaming across our southern border unimpeded. Go to any Home Depot at eight in the morning, count all the illegal immigrants standing around looking for work. You decide for yourself how well the government is doing at protecting our borders.
The government builds roads and infrastructure you say. Agreed. But the truth is the government only collects taxes to pay for that construction. The vast majority of infrastructure construction is done by the private sector. Thank God. Imagine our free way system if it were built and maintained by those same city workers that take care of our streets. Hitting that pothole at 35 is bad enough, imagine hitting it on the freeway at 75.
Yes, the government should arrest and detain criminals. And they do by the hundreds of thousands. In the meantime, your first line of defense should be that you protect yourself from these villains. Have a home security system, lock your doors, and avoid the “bad” part of town. If you are raped or mugged the police MAY catch your assailant and a Judge MAY lock the culprit away, but you will still have been raped and your possessions will still be gone. Learn to depend first and foremost on YOU.
The government should provide a military. And they do. In fact, regardless of your take on our endless wars and “incursions” it is still the one thing the government used to do well. That’s why we don’t all speak German or Japanese or worship in a Mosque. But what is the military? The best the government can hope to do is recruit and train us civilians. Thus, each soldier is actually a citizen soldier. And in combat that platoon on the front line has only themselves for support. Washington is a long way away. (Thankfully.)
JUSTICE FOR ALL AND A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
On thing the governement must do is provide a system of laws that are enforced equally for all. Without justice there can be no level playing field. Without equal justice America is but an empty promise. The best way to help the poor and underprivlidged is to ensure them equal protection under the law. To support orgnizations that work to level the playing field and keep it that way.
CHECK BOOKS AND BEDROOMS
Today I find myself politically perplexed. The Republicans won’t stay out of my bedroom and the Democrats won’t stay out of my checkbook. Socially I’m completely liberal. Hell, I don’t care what anybody does as long as they don’t do it to me. Don’t believe in abortion? Don’t have one. Gay people getting married? Who cares! Besides, why shouldn’t gays get married and become as miserable as most married heterosexuals?
Fiscally I’m pretty conservative. It’s not that I mind paying taxes. It’s just that I mind having those taxes used to do things better left to the private sector. Or worse, have those tax dollars used to take away my personal freedom. Government is intent upon the redistribution of wealth and it’s tool is your tax dollars.
Democracy, by its very nature, carries inside it the seeds of its own destruction. Eventually a segment of the electorate realizes they can vote to “redistribute” other peoples money to themselves. Eventually that segment becomes a majority and soon more citizens are on the dole than on the job. Eventually they economic system collapses. The USA is near the tipping point right now.
NAME DROPPING
Years ago I had several opportunities to talk with Ted Turner one on one. While socially pretty liberal, he’s fiscally conservative and uses his money in numerous ways to benefit mankind. He once told me that if the government took all his money and divided it up equally among all the people he’d soon have his money back in his pocket. And so it is. If you took all the money in the world and divided it up equally among all the people lin the world, within a few years it would find its way back in the hands of the rich. Call it luck or skill or both. The bible says, “the poor will always be with us.” To that I would add, “so will the rich always be with us.”
IGNORANCE HYPOCRISY OR BOTH?
I have a VERY liberal friend, a retired college professor, who HATES corporations. He considers them, along with the wealthy people that create those corporations, as evil, selfish, and down right mean. Amazing. Does he really think Ted Turner has his billions buried in a tin can or tucked under his mattress? No matter where Ted invests his money, once invested HE AINT GOT IT ANYMORE. It’s out there somewhere.
Put your’re money in the bank, the bank loans it out to someone else. T bills? The government uses it to pay its bills or fund another entitlement program. Wall Street? The ultimate casino. Amazingly, its the profits from the very corporations my liberal friend hates which fund his retirement account. The pension has all his money in Wall Street and thus it’s invested in the corporations he hates.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Let’s talk about money. I’m sure you view the lack of money as the single biggest obstacle to obtaining your freedom. Funny thing about money. How much is enough? For a detailed examination of this question see Lee Eisenberg’s “The Number. A Completely Different Way To Think About The Rest Of Your Life.” A must read at any age if you care about having “enough money to someday retire.”
When you were in college or starting out on that first job you probably had far less money than you have today. But were you somehow happier back then? Did you have more fun back then? Its because you were more FREE. The truth is, you’ve probably taken that extra income and applied it to acquiring and maintaining things that don’t make you happy, things that don’t allow you to be free. You’re bogged down with things that Madison Avenue convinced you to buy. Remember that old cowboy’s advice. “Never buy anything you don’t need and can live without.” Or in the words of Chris Kristofferson, “Freedom ain’t worth nothin but it’s free.”
A WORD ABOUT MADISON AVENUE
America is NOT winning the war with radical muslims. While we arguably have the best technology and military on the planet, we simply can’t win a war of “ideas” with boots on the ground or drones in the air. We can only win this war by changing hearts and minds. And thats where Madison Avenue comes in. Hey, they convinced us to buy a trash compactor that does nothing more than turn twenty pounds of trash into twenty pounds of trash. And for years they tricked us into buying american cars which were far inferior to foreign cars. Maybe we should turn them loose on the followers of Mohammed. This is a battle for hearts and minds. Madison Avenues forte.
MONEY WON’T MAKE YOU FREE. After realizing that I alone had the ability to set myself free, the second most valuable thing I learned from Harry Browne had to do with money and it was this; money does not necessarily make you free but being free may be the key to making money. Working for someone else may make you a living but it will seldom make you rich, and it will likely make you miserable in the process. ” Work your fingers to the bone and what do you get? Boney fingers.”
LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE
Webster defines selfish as “concerned with your own interests, needs, and wishes.” Aren’t we all? But Webster goes on to add, “while ignoring those of others.” Hey, let’s admit it. We’re all pretty much concerned with our own interests, needs, and wishes. In fact, being free implies the ability (and willingness) to fulfill your own interests, needs, and wishes. But that leads to problems.
YOU SELFISH BASTARD!
In your personal quest to be free (to live your life in your own way) you may be seen by others as being selfish. That should be a big red flag. Here’s what they’re really saying– “It’s ok for me to impose my interests, needs, and wishes upon you, but it’s not ok for you to do it to me.” If you constantly find your personal needs in conflict with those of other people, you’re not being selfish. YOU’RE HANGING AROUND WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE! Go out there and find people who already share your interests, needs, and wishes. Suddenly, instead of being selfish, you’re being friends with people of like minds. For more on this idea read my thoughts about “control” contained in the essay “Advice To Myself.”
YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Well, that’s about it for now. If any of this made sense I urge you to go to www.amazon.com and order these books:
How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World, by Harry Browne.
The Richest Man In Babylon, by George Clason.
Escape from Freedom, by Eric Fromm.
The Number, by Lee eisenberg.
Footsteps, by Larry Morgan. (Ok, I’m plugging my own book. I’m a salesman and a shameless capitalist.)
BE FREE TOO
My personal website, befrfeetoo.net has given me an opportunity to “give something back.” To pass on something others might enjoy. I hope you’ll look over the other essays, enjoy the poems, browse through the pictures, and share them with your friends. Since starting befreetoo in 2009 I’ve received thousands of emails. I’ve been contacted by former friends with whom I had lost contact. I’ve received emails from people all over the world. I continue to correct typos, mis-spelled words, and technical flaws pointed out to me by people who actually took the time to read these pages, and my book Footsteps.
I hope YOU will contact me or post a comment. Anything posted goes only to me and is not made public. Any email you send me remains confidential. Your email address or any contact information will not be shared or sold. I welcome your feedback, positive or negative, and look forward to hearing from you. It may take time but I will respond.
THE THIRD FORTUNE COOKIE
Oh, I almost forgot. That third fortune cookie said, “You have a great way with words. Maybe you should write a book.”
ELM STREET
Thank’s for reading this collection of mostly other peoples ideas. You are now at Elm Street. I hope you’re inspired to turn left. You’ll never regret the decision. Email me when you get there.
