5. The freedom of enjoyment
Joie de vivre as a path to inner liberation
One of the goals of self-coaching — to find freedom from our emotional entanglements — brings us to the role of enjoyment in our lives. This is joie de vivre — the simple, radiant joy of being alive.
I feel free when I stand high on a mountain and see the whole world spread out before me.
I feel free when I’m home alone with my kitten — stroking her endlessly, knowing she never tires of it.
I feel free when I ride my bike through the fields, leaning into the corners, letting myself fly downhill.
I feel free in the ocean, not far from the beach, surrendering to the rhythm of the waves at high tide.
When I’m in Africa, the sea is warm and the waves rise like houses. They carry me wherever they please — and for a moment, I drift completely away in a dream.
Where am I?
Ah yes — my skin tingles with pleasure; my body hums with life.
This must be the land of freedom.
In the land of freedom you will find the sky.
“The wind is free,” my son once said, “because it goes where it pleases. You can’t catch it — but it cools you when you’re hot.”
In the land of freedom you will find water. It, too, goes where it wants. It slips through your fingers when you try to hold it, yet how refreshing it is when you are thirsty.
And there is sand — as much as all the deserts combined. The grains tickle between your toes, too fine to grasp. There are beaches everywhere: places of rest where fruit is juicy and sweet, where people are happy and beautiful, where everyone has time for one another.
The people laugh — and laugh again.
Then the sun carries you toward dreamland. Deep in your sleep you are happy. You smile in your heart; your whole body smiles.
“Dream softly,” whispers the fairy of the evening sun. “Tomorrow is a new day. And with my wand I will conjure it for you. Dream softly, for tomorrow will be beautiful.”
Being free is beautiful.
And yet I hear people say:
“We are not free at all. We’re not free to do what we want.”
They are partly right. Our freedom is often limited, sometimes taken from us. But is that always the end of freedom?
As children we must listen to our parents.
As adults we must answer to our employers, our obligations, our duties.
Does that mean we are not free?
Freedom is deeper than permission.
It is the capacity to find joy in the world as it is — to breathe, to notice beauty, to let gratitude replace complaint.
Freedom, after all, is not only about doing; it is about being.
Freedom is an unbreakable chain.
Truly free people form a chain. You are never free on your own.
Close your eyes for a moment. Think of the most beautiful moments of your life — the ones that filled you with deep happiness. You felt completely free, didn’t you?
And yet, if you look closely, you’ll see that you were never alone in those moments. Even if your happiest memory is standing alone on a mountain peak, you did not get there entirely by yourself. You needed people — for everything you do.
If you enjoy a fresh gingerbread in the morning, it is only because a baker rose before dawn and prepared it with love.
Look around you with admiration at free people — and learn from them. Let it sink in, then take up that torch of freedom and pass it on. Because you can. Anyone can.
We don’t need great heroes or famous philanthropists to make the world a better place. Every person who shares the joy of life with others is already a do-gooder in the truest sense.
Free people remind us that we can trust one another in this chain of freedom. Every day we meet people who wish us well, who quietly strive to keep joie de vivre alive.
Do-gooders are not those who accomplish something grand on their own. They are the quiet builders of joy, linking one life to another.
Each of us who becomes free becomes a better person — for ourselves, for others, for the planet.
So let us enjoy the countless small and great things our days offer, for in doing so, we keep freedom alive.
“Joy shared is freedom multiplied — the chain grows longer every time we smile.”