A recurring theme here at Nothing Has Meaning is that your actions reveal your values. Simply put, you do what you want.
Whatever, whatever, I do what I waaauuuaaant! Cartman from Southpark on Maury Povich.
This is a difficult idea for many to take as our society is largely based on placing blame or claiming that actions are mandatory or rather involuntary. Involuntary action? Ridiculous. By action I am not talking about swatting a fly or closing your eyes as a reflex I am talking about life moves, choices made, avenues followed or not, the path taken.
Two roads diverged in a wood and I took neither, I blazed my own.
So for the sake of actually illuminating this idea, and the underlying freedom of realization that we are in control, further explanation may be necessary.
Strip away all of the outer forces and all of the outer influences and all of the outer external crap and you are left with yourself. See yourself. Understand that you live within yourself and that only you can see yourself clearly, only you have that potential. No one else can impinge on your world. From there, you act. Voodoo is voodoo, not real.
So the idea, the reality, the fact, is that once you realize that all choices you make are yours to make no matter the appearance of being forced or coerced or pushed, freedom, true freedom looms.
Once you let go of all external input as being relevant at all, freedom looms.
Once you become aware that nothing matters, but you, then you are free. This is the dichotomy of freedom because this appears selfish. Giving however is a logical extension of freeing yourself from the bonds of influence. Once you know that you are free, you can then give cleanly, knowing you aren’t reacting but rather acting, from the being, the internal being.
More on this dichotomy at another time.
Suffice to say, awareness of self will set you free, however, you will also get really irritated at yourself for not being true when you make decisions based on fear only to find they weren’t all that, and then you know that still, that was what you wanted, so you ask yourself good questions like am I really such a wimp? When the answer is shown by your action to be yes, well then, you can hone your true being, truly sharpen the image, the internal image of yourself.
So fear is the next thing to go.
Afraid.