"Whenever we seek to avoid the responsibility for our own behavior, we do so by attempting to give that responsibility to some other individual or organization or entity. But this means we then give away our power to that entity, be it "fate" or "society" or the government or the corporation or our boss. It is for this reason that Erich Fromm so aptly titled his study of Nazism and authoritarianism Escape from Freedom. In attempting to avoid the pain of responsibility, millions and even billions daily attempt to escape from freedom."
by M. Scott Peck, M.D. in The Road Less Traveled
Freedom is a great responsibility; choosing freedom means taking responsibility for our choices and their consequences. In other words: you are not the result of your circumstances, rather of your choices. You always have the choice to pass on the responsibility for your crappy life to society, to economy, to your spouse, to your boss... Because accepting responsibility would mean having to deal with the pain of hard work, mistakes and sacrifise.
So you have two choices:
1. Blame others: you can live passively in a comfortable crappy life, believing that you are powerless and allowing circumstances to command your possibilities (yeah, you don't have to deal with the weight of responsibilities).
2. Be in charge: you can live actively, taking risks and constantly challange yourself to move past your comfort zone: but never settle for less than your freedom to live your life the way you desire it.
So next time you complain about something in your life; step back and reflect for a moment. You always have a choice. Perhaps the reason to stay where you are is more valuable to you, than the price you'd need to pay to be where you want to be. Perhaps you didn't even see the alternative option...
But whether you take the time to see it or not; just know that it's there.
by Anita M. Gardonyi
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