Freedom, Happiness, Purification

Everyone is searching for happiness, yet it remains elusive for most people. Most people will agree with the proposition that it is very difficult to experience happiness without freedom. This is the premise upon which the nation of the United States was formed, the idea that freedom is necessary in order for the pursuit of happiness. Yet it appears that political freedom and the freedom to travel, speak, and express oneself freely is not enough to bring happiness. Freedom is not just absence of external force to control your life. Even more important is your own internal freedom. It is freedom from addictions to temporary pleasures. It is freedom from beliefs that you may have grown up with and accepted as true without ever questioning or examining them. It is freedom to search on our own for the true path of your soul. In order to realize this type of internal freedom it is necessary to undergo a conscious process of purification. If you simply allow it to happen on its own time the process will be very long, for the forces of the material world are arranged to make you more addicted to material pleasure, not less. Thus, time spent in purification is essential. Seek out the method that resonates with you and seek the guidance of one whom you trust and respect. It is very important to have help, as it is very difficult to completely purify yourself without a proven process and someone who can help you see the subtlest attachments you are holding onto. Constantly seek this purification and the more you become pure the more you will actually begin to experience true freedom at the level of the soul. When this happens then happiness will be an automatic byproduct that will soon be superseded by joy, ecstasy and bliss.