spun's Journal: Freedom

I just had an interesting revelation regarding freedom. My mom came down with pancreatic cancer about a year ago, and I felt my personal sense of freedom curtailed. Sure, it was only curtailed by my own sense morality and obligation. but it was limited nonetheless. And I noticed, there is only so much freedom I am willing to give up. I was suddenly much more aware of, and resistant to, all the other limitations on my freedom like my marriage and my job and living in a society where I have to wear pants. Then my mom died, and I inherited a house and quite a bit of money. Now that my freedom is far less constrained by finances, or by dying single mother, only child dynamics, the minor impositions of job and marriage and pants obsessed society don't even register.

I've read that the sense of certainty is simply an emotion, a specific analog circuit that engages and drives our logical mind to come up with explanations. Now, through experience, I believe our sense of freedom is another emotional circuit. While in a strictly deterministic world individual freedom does not exist as such, the sense of personal freedom is a very real part of the chain of cause and effect.

(And thus, a personal conundrum is resolved, cognitive dissonance is decreased, and pants are worn.)

+1, insightful.

[synaptik]

Great journal entry.

Physiological Freedom

[Roxton]

I've read that the sense of certainty is simply an emotion, a specific analog circuit that engages and drives our logical mind to come up with explanations.

I believe this to be accurate. I have a different physiological take on freedom, though.

My hypothesis is that there are actually two axes at work here.

Axis 1: Predictability
The rationalizing center(s) of the brain predict the behavior of the external environment in much the same way as it predicts your own volitional behavior. Seeing, say, a table move

Re:

[spun]

Very insightful additions. I've also heard that depression can come from having things too easy, that true satisfaction comes from meaningful, real effort.

Safety nets (and universal health care) are key components for creating more freedom.

Heh

[Captain Splendid]

and pants are worn

And there was much rejoicing throughout the land. Great JE. About to go through a similar arc...

Re:

[spun]

Be sure to take some time for yourself, you can't help anyone if you let yourself become a nervous wreck, as I learned the hard way...