Freedom Over Power

Power and freedom are two different entities.

We often confuse power and freedom as being the same thing. Power is your influence over people. Freedom is your ability to choose what to do with your time, with few limitations. Most people want freedom. However, society makes us think that gaining power will give us that freedom. If you think about it deeply, those who have power are often responsible for the livelihoods of the people that they are in charge of. Being responsible for your own life is hard enough, let alone other people. Imagine you’re a CEO of a major company. In this role, you have to be sure that everything is running smoothly so that everyone has a paycheck and health insurance. These things are only available if the company is properly managed. No one advertises is the loss of freedom that comes with power, especially when you have other people reliant on you. In these positions, you must work at least 60 hours per week. Businesses are so unstable to the point that they need to be closely managed every day, even after hours. A loss of a single contract can put a business under. It would not appear that the people working after hours have much freedom.

Ask yourself, is power the way to freedom? I’m not saying that you don’t have to work hard for freedom, because you definitely do. What I am saying is that you have to be very clear about your goals and values so that you don’t lose your definition of freedom. 80-hour weeks may be freedom for some, and torture for others. Forget what society or the media says. Your definition of freedom will inevitably make you the happiest.