I’d rather live in a free but dangerous world than a safe and oppressed one.
That sentence has become a sort of motto to me. It helps steer choices, motivates me, and moderates fear when life becomes difficult.
The best time of my life, some would say was the most dangerous, and I would say was the most freedom I’ve ever felt.
No money, no job, just hitchhiking across the country. Waking up every day not knowing where I’ll be sleeping, eating, or what I’ll be doing. But knowing that it was going to be adventure.
That freedom changed me. Gave me a real sense of what true freedom feels like. No responsibilities. No attachment. Just me, my backpack, and the open road.
My worst night was when I was just outside of Fort Collins, Colorado. It was raining and my tarp wasn’t keeping me dry so I resorted to sleeping on the floor of a parking lot bathroom.
I woke up to someone pounding on the door telling me I had to get out. At that moment I was wet, cold, tired, and on the edge of tears. I just didn’t care what that parking lot attendant would do next, I just needed a moment to myself.
That night pales in comparison to the magical night I had in San Francisco.
I met a Middle Eastern guy parked just outside of a Whole Foods and we shared a night I’ll never forget. We took acid together, shared some tandoori chicken he cooked on one of the smallest charcoal grills I’ve ever seen on the sidewalk just outside of his RV, and had a wondrous night of stories, music, and adventures all with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Those wondrous nights can only happen when you have freedom. The moment a badge appears, that wonder quickly disappears.
Many times throughout my journey I was stopped by police, asked to ID myself, and even threatened to be arrested.
But why?
I was not a harm to anyone. I was not doing anything inherently illegal. And, when hitchhiking, I was protected by the constitution’s freedom of speech.
Simply put, I felt like I was being oppressed.
The way I saw it, the police saw me as someone outside the system. A parasite. An untaxable. Not living within the system that they have come to know as the “right way to live”.
Don’t get me wrong. Some police were nice and even gave me rides to the next city/county over. But the ones that weren’t, made me fear for my life.
What were those police thinking? Were they after power? Were they scared? Or did they just not know any better? Maybe it just depends.
Now that I am a business owner, investor, and have people that depend on me, I see both sides.
I eventually joined the “system”. For if you want to change the system, you should join it, become a master at it, and rise to the top so you can change it.
Being a responsible adult and contributing to society is important to keep everyone happy and healthy. And I understand now that changing a society, and its beliefs, is hard. Perhaps even the hardest thing a person can do.
But, I do not believe we should force people to do things they do not want to do. That is what causes a lack of motivation, lack of purpose, depression, and ultimately rebellion.
Freedom is the ultimate right. One that we should not compromise.
For without freedom we are simply following a script we didn’t write.
You don’t have to sleep on a bathroom floor in Colorado to be free. But you do have to be willing to be “dangerous” to a system that wants you to be predictable.
You have to be willing to be “untaxable” in spirit, autonomous in life, and risky in your actions and decisions.
What’s your dangerous freedom look like?
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