Philosophy Discussion Forums

This is a discussion forum topic for the November 2022 Philosophy Book of the Month, In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All.


Whoever 'they' are for you, they can never take your spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline).

They can never steal your inner peace.

Nobody can. Nothing external can. Nothing outer can. No amount of outer dispeace can.

These are things you can only give away voluntarily. In that way, you can never really give them away, you can only engage in the dishonest self-delusion that is spiritual slavery and spiritual imprisonment. In that case, the spiritual devils and cage is in your imagination, but a nightmare doesn't need to be real to torment you just the same. Indeed, even the fact that you are the creator--the god--of the nightmare and are your own worst tormentor does not make the torment any less tormenting. That kind of deep spiritual torment is only something one can do to themselves. If you are ever experiencing that kind of deep spiritual ongoing torment, then it is always the case that is you and only you that is doing it to you.

The only true possession is self-possession and to realize it and manifest that fact is freedom, true spiritual freedom. It's the one true possession because it's the only possession that cannot be stripped from you.

Of all other possessions, it can be rightly said that what you own really owns you. the more Possessiveness itself towards any such things--be they real things or imaginary things--is the quintessential form of spiritual slavery. When you think of yourself as owner of anything but yourself--your true self, your spiritual freedom, and the free-spirited inner peace that is 100% control- then you are not really the owner but the owned. Then you are not the master but the slave. Moreover, not only can such possessions be stripped from you, but they always inevitably will. Conflate the mortal and temporary with the eternal and constant and you will suffer. Seek to own or pretend to own anything but the one thing you do own and you will suffer. Thus, possessiveness is slavery, and the more you possessively cling to pseudo-possessions, meaning anything outer or temporary, including comfort itself, the more you are a slave, a spiritual slave spiritually imprisoned in your own made-up nightmare and spiritually enslaved and tormented by imaginary devils you secretly control.

One of my favorite books is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor. What he calls "the last of human freedoms" is something I would call "the only true freedom", but regardless he says it better than I ever could:


"Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing: The last of the human freedoms-- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you become the plaything to circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity."







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In addition to having authored his book, In It Together, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes (a.k.a. Scott) runs a mentoring program, with a free option, that guarantees success. Success is guaranteed for anyone who follows the program, both for the free option and the paid option.

I was recently reading an article about the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda that all our inborn qualities are the result of the direct experiences we have had in our previous lives. The same thing can be said about the quality of choosing one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, or choosing one's own way.

Choosing one's way, sometimes is not a decision left to many. Some people do not have the choice to choose their own way and therefore, do not have the last of the human freedom because the situations we find ourselves in determine the reaction we give in response.

Medina Fedrick wrote: ↑October 8th, 2023, 1:19 am Some people do not have the choice to choose their own way and therefore, do not have the last of the human freedom

He didn't say the last human freedom is to choose one's own "way".

He said it is to choose one own attitude.

Medina Fedrick wrote: ↑October 8th, 2023, 1:19 amthe situations we find ourselves in determine the reaction we give in response.

No they don't. You determine your response. You determine how you play the cards you've been dealt, regardless of what they are.

As my book teaches, you are always 100% in control of your choices.

As my book teaches, when it comes to your choices, you always get exactly what you want, meaning what you choose.

As my book teaches, there is nothing you must do.

Even if someone puts a literal gun to your head, you can still say a defiant no if you so choose.

Nobody and nothing can take your spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline), and so that is the indeed the last of human freedoms, as Frankl calls it.

What a powerful example of the human will's capacity to overcome the impossible. My daughter is struggling to overcome a trauma that recently occurred in her life. She literally went from "on top of the world" to "crashing and burning," or at least that is her perception. A newlywed who graduated at the top of her nursing class is now dealing with the effects of a manic episode that landed her in the hospital for a week.

Circumstances will come and go in our lives, ups and downs, good and bad. I agree with you one hundred percent. The only thing we can control is our response to our circumstances; no one can take that away from us. It is a powerful feeling when you realize that no one and nothing can control you and that you have the ability to control your emotions and responses. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us.

Absolutely! In fact, these are words I try to live by. You are in control of how you react to the world around you.

They share insights about embracing spiritual freedom through forgiveness, gratitude, and a profound appreciation for life. Their experiences underscore the importance of self-discipline in maintaining a positive mindset despite unimaginable circumstances.

This mindset suggests a resilience that stems from an internal source, emphasizing the idea that external circumstances, no matter how tumultuous, cannot disrupt the tranquility within. It reflects a profound sense of self-control and a commitment to maintaining one's peace regardless of external disquietude. If you have more to share or discuss on this topic, feel free to elaborate.

I can relate with this. I am not a Holocaust survivor, and I cannot even think how or what they went through. But I had a fraction of that experience (as I assume) when I underwent military training. We were continuously subjected to extreme physical conditions as a part of the training, and none of them were in our control or to our liking. The only way to survive that was to understand and accept what is within our control and what is not, and keeping our inner peace.

Viktor Frankl's words are true.

Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing: The last of the human freedoms-- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's way. And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you become the plaything to circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity."