Freedoms to believe in

Existential freedom does exist, even though so much of our freedom is taken from us. It exists as long as we do not see freedom as something all-encompassing. Freedom is not absolute; it always exists within a context of choice. Every choice affirms one possibility while excluding another—every freedom implies a boundary. Yet we all live in the pursuit of freedom, whatever form that may take. For each of us, it is different.

There is, on the one hand, the freedom of progression—the freedom to grow, to move forward. On the other, there is the freedom of deconstruction—the freedom that limits itself in order not to destroy the freedom of others. And then there is pragmatic freedom, the freedom shaped by context, reminding us that we cannot do or say everything at all times.

All of these are undeniably expressions of existential freedom, for humanity itself is an aspiration. Freedom is within reach when we believe in it—even if we are never fully satisfied. Our dissatisfaction does not mean that freedom is absent. Freedom is not black or white; it is what we make of it.

In conclusion, to believe in freedom is already to practice self-coaching. Through self-coaching we give shape to our existential freedom—the freedom that lives within the limits of life, yet transcends them through awareness and purpose. It is the art of guiding oneself toward meaning, of transforming constraint into possibility. When we awaken our visionary power, we begin to see that freedom is not a state we reach, but a movement we embody—a continuous becoming. In this movement we find dignity, responsibility, and hope. And perhaps that is what it truly means to be free: to live as if every step we take adds a little more humanity to the world.

— Thierry Limpens