Freedom.

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When do I feel free? I do not really know how to describe my thoughts into English in their fullest context, but to me freedom comes from being alone or with my Mum or brother (Someone close) and I can totally be myself, and we are in a scenic setting away from people. Where I am enjoying the sights, smells and sounds without any restraint. If I walk under trees I can look up and marvel at their beauty and magnificence. If I am on a mountain, I can sit and just look at the view.
The best way for me to share my thoughts on freedom are to describe what it's not. Walking throuhh a crowded area like a town or a city. Worse still, going into a crowded shop. I feel like I am watchful of everyone around... Also, to live in a city where lots of people are around me is like living in the prison of a little box... Where I am stuck in the box not wanting to venture out.
True, sometimes I have been in cities and have enjoyed them. But it depends on the enviroment. Some have lovely parks to relax in... As long as the parks are not crowded.
Maybe I am a little different to most.
Now the strange thing is that to me freedom is being in the countryside but... if the countryside is flat without a distant hill to focus on, I panic! I once stayed in Southport (Near Blackpool and Liverpool) for two weeks on a course helping look after people with various dissabilities. On a day off I went to explore. I walked several miles south and I started to feel a bit panicky. It wasn't just flat. It was a case that I could not focus on any distant mountainous landmark. I found a train station and took a train back to Southport. It was a 3rd rail electric train. The only time I have evern been on one of them, and I was impressed by the acceleration. Oddly for me, because I had been panicky and I was on edge, I didn't take much notice of the train from the outside. It was a case of as soon as I knew it would take me back to Southport I was on it! Why odd? Because I like trains. You could say that they are my special interest.

What do you call freedom?

I think freedom is such a multifaceted state. I enjoy a lot of the things you mention.

I would never willingly seek out a metropolis. I much prefer open countryside. I'm okay if it's flat or has mountains because I've spent a lot of time in both. I do love the fresh air and quiet of the mountains of my childhood. I could handle a big city, but I would do it by turning some of my senses off, which sort of defeats the purpose of a new experience. I'm sure I would sleep for a week after I got home from a big city though.

Freedom is a work week of no more than three 12 hour shifts. I like to have an engaged mind, I like to be bone tired from a hard day's work.

Freedom is living beneath my means. I don't like it when I HAVE to work to keep from bill collectors coming after me. I do like it when I CHOOSE to work, to feel the satisfaction of a job well done. And to be part of a team working towards financial freedom.

I like it when I choose to love vs feeling obligated to love.

I like to be left alone by officials. I don't want government hands ( hands in or out ), just want them to get away from me. They should only know I'm alive when I file my taxes or vote. Otherwise, they shouldn't even know of my existence.

I would love to go on a cross country train ride, Mountain Goat. I've never been on a train, but I can imagine you could look out the window at all the vastness and be cozy in a car. If I could have my wish, I would have a private car, of course.

Thanks for the post, I always love your topics.

I worked on trains for 9 years. There were good times and bad times depending on the day... Every day was different. Eventually I burnt out and handed in my notice.

I was a guard working the passenger trains. A bit of a dangerous job. Had a knife blade against my face once... Though the dangerous part of the job was ducking under the train to couple and uncouple. Two people died in my area within two weeks of each other just before I left.

Do any trains have cabooses these days? I don't recall seeing one for a very long time.

Cabooses in the USA are different to the Brake Vans in the UK.
a caboose is to keep an eye on the train. From the early years the USA decided to use continuous brakes. In the UK, the brake van and the loco were the brakes. Only handbrakes via a lever on the outside were fittied to wagons. Passenger coaches usually had continous brakes due to regulations.

Hmm the topic went from FREEDOM to TRAINS!
My idea of freedom is to be able to fart in bed and not be concerned about reactions from another.
We all fart so why hold it back?

Lots of stuff in the OP there... trains and mountains.
The third rail electric sounds like the Merseyrail trains I rode on for the first 30 years of my life. And... Southport is very very flat.
I live in the Pennines now... There are hills out the front of the house and there are hills out of the back of the house. I can see hills as I'm typing this, except the summer foliage of trees hides them a bit.
I used to think of myself as a bit of a townie, but I like the great metropolis less and less.
There is also a canal and a railway line at the back of the house... we've had the Flying Scotsman, the Mallard and the Sir Nigel Gresley rattling past at some time or other... don't get much warning that they're coming, just a whistle and a lot of chuffing.

Freedom? For me it's simply not going to work.

Freedom for me is being alone with an unlimited transport pass and a load of pocket money.

Two main ones actually. It's either...


I wanna be free... From this brain fog. Permanently.

Once I stop being confused for most at the time, then I can take more responsibilities and act on it more than just some intent...
Able to compromise between margining variables, use my intellect at it's best, actually able to use my experience and knowledge so it would mean my past would be more meaningful therefore so is my future. No longer trap in my own body in certain sense that it traps me to a chaotic 'now'.
In other words, able to actually control myself, being functioning for good.

OR

I wanna be free from the 'wanting' and 'hoping' and whatever held me back to act on things.

Yet this can be very fatalistic.
This would mean no longer caring about any repercussions and any consequences, no longer have to think about compromise. Or will compromise willingly and not be affected much. It's like, I dunno how to describe; it's either the load of a burden becomes meaningless or the burden itself is meaningful. I wouldn't have to wish for the former too -- because either I'd be very impulsive and just do it, or become fearless in a more literal sense that it'll affect everyone those around me for uncertain reasons -- it's like simply walking away from everything, without considering if someone may worry or that if there are any danger or risks to consider concerning self.
In short, either I'll become super numb (apathetic) or super resilient (spiritual) interceptively.



Both are very possible to happen within my lifetime in longterm, and neither of which were a 'dream' when it happened in certain occasions.

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