Is there such a thing as too much freedom?
2009-09-17
I've always used freedom as the compass to guide my decisions.
We moved a lot when I was a kid. Lived in 5 states and countries by the time I was 5.
I left home at 17 and went off to college as far away as I could.
I joined a circus for 10 years. (Yes really). Then I quit my last job in 1992, vowing to make a living making music and never have a job again.
In 2002, only 4 years into my company's 10-year history, I delegated all of my responsibilities, making myself unnecessary to the operations of my company, so that I was free to go live anywhere and do anything. (Though I still chose to work on my company, I would work on future stuff not day-to-day stuff.)
My email was filtered by the customer service staff. Hardly any needed my personal reply, so I was free to go days without checking email.
I gave nobody my phone number, and said no to all meeting requests, so I was free to work on my own schedule with no appointments to interrupt.
I gave away most of my possessions (including my entire recording studio!) to my employees. So all I had left were some clothes, books, and my laptop. Free to travel lightly.
I eliminated all physical mail, setting my necessary bills to electronic payments, and had tax forms go to my accountant. I was free to move without notice.
I moved to London for a year, just because I could. I hardly told anyone I was gone. Most people thought I was still in Portland.
Then I went to San Francisco for a few months, India for a month, and Iceland for a month.
Friends back home would say, “So what did you do in Iceland?”
I'd say, “Same thing as you. Same thing I'd be doing anywhere else. Just programming, working, writing, reading, flirting, living.”
Living the laptop life. Location agnostic. Switching countries was like switching rooms in your house. Why not go sit in the den for a while? Why not do some writing in the kitchen for a change? How about the back yard?
How about Berlin for a while? Brazil? Buenos Aires? Beijing? It's a big world. Why not do my work in each of these places?
I could be anywhere, but didn't have to be anywhere.
But even though I had freedom of location, I still had some responsibilities to my company. CEO/owner type stuff. And I was still the main programmer, so in all of these places, I'd still be working mostly on the backend programming, improving the site and service.
My company grew 1000% while I was gone, from 2002 to 2008. (And I came back to Portland for a year from 2006-2007.) But once I left for good in 2008, I really had no more responsibilities at all, and might never again.
I could do anything, but didn't have to do anything.
This is where it started to get a little overwhelming.
I had done it! I'd reached the final destination of my life-long pursuit of freedom!
And yes, it's awesome. So.... Wow. Now what?
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
(( Stop and ponder that for even a few seconds. What if you had no ties? Nothing holding you to any one place. What if you had unlimited plane tickets? What if you never had to work again? ))
Is there such a thing as too much freedom?
This story isn't coming to some conclusion where I answer the question. I'm still living the question.
I'm starting some new companies, but they'll have no employees, no office, and are designed to run without me from the start.
I'm in New York City right now. But I'm learning Mandarin (spoken and written) and will move to China some day soon. Until it feels like home, then I'll move on to Brazil or anywhere else.
Some predict I'll stop moving when I fall in love with the right person, but I think the right person would also want to live around the world too.
I'm definitely happy and complete, so there's no sense of longing or lacking. Just a constant pursuit of learning and experiencing all I can before I die.
But those same two questions keep coming up:
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
(If the question interests you, I highly recommend reading “The Paradox of Choice”.)
I think you're doing the right thing through your website by asking the important (life) questions, which in turn help raise the awareness and/or consciousness of your readers.
-- Derek
If you're truly free of any obligations in this life time why not give back to your fellow man?
I am.
The Ying and yang:
The Hot and Cold the up and down the young and old.
It is all in the balance.
Yes you can have to much freedom.
Old forever (No) Hot Forever(No)
The laws of nature must be satisfied.
You are sending out all these email concepts (Questions) because you are bored with your freedom.
You hope they will lead you to a choice of being tied to something and not (FREE)
I Have Spoken
Where do you go and what do you do? Help people. Give back. Which is exactly what you are doing. How else are you serving communities? I would love to know what your volunteerism looks like.
You Derek are a true inspiration! As my best friend's email signature always says "not all who wander are lost"
I'd love to travel as much as you do and it's a goal of mine to do so.
Where do you go: home
What do you do: be of service
Well, Derek, it's nice that you have time and resources for other pursuits - good on you! However, the company you left in 2008, CD Baby, has really let me down since their recent overhaul of the site. I've tried in vain to get my site up to speed and it's simply frustrating dealing with the folks you left behind now that Discmakers runs the operation - it's beyond pathetic. Therefore, I'm in the midst of taking down my Hostbaby site and getting back my inventory, etc.
Don't know for sure if it would be any better with you still at CD Baby, however, as far as I'm concerned, having been a customer since 2004, somebody dropped the ball at CD Baby at some point and never bothered to pick it up.
I'm sorry. I hear this a few times a day from people. I get very long upset emails to my personal account every day from people complaining to me that CD Baby isn't answering their phone or email or whatever. I even got stopped on the street yesterday by someone who recognized me from my online photo, then had to tell me how much the new CD Baby sucks. I don't know what to say. I chose Disc Makers as the new owners, even though other companies were offering me more money, because I felt Disc Makers would do the best job running it. Hopefully the last two months have just been an unfortunate setback and it'll come back better than ever. If not, then that leaves some great room for a young new company to come in and kick ass. -- Derek
Free and Easy Blues (by J.Crabtree c. 2001)
I don’t know what freedom is
I never had to choose
But even so, from time to time
I get the free and easy blues
I’ll keep my head, I’ll keep my home
But I’ll keep my walking shoes
I’m beating the game, but all the same,
I get the free and easy blues
Perhaps I’ve an urge
To build something strong
From one of my castles in the air
Perhaps it’s just the call of any open road
And the wind and the rain in my hair
I could have run a year ago
When I had less to lose
But I thought I was wise
To quit telling me those lies
Oh I think you’ve heard the news
I get the free and easy blues
Perhaps I’ve an urge to build something fine
From just one of my castles in the air
Perhaps it’s just the call of any open road
And the wind blowing stardust
Through my hair
I could have run a year ago
When I had less to lose
But I thought I was wise
To quit telling me those lies
O but my head gets so confused
With the free and easy blues
From All the Good Times FEM 001 2001
Available at CDBaby.com
I go on tour. It satisfies the thirst for history, hunger for expression, need to reach out, need to be reached to, leaves me time alone to ponder, write, and I love the mental rest of having nothing pulling me that I didn't ask to pull me.
Thanks Derek. Love your ponderings
No!
As difficult and overwhelming as freedom might seem sometimes, it is far, far better than the alternative.
Now you can CHOOSE what you want to do next. You can start a new company, and maybe it will inhibit your freedom a little bit, at which point you can CHOOSE to let it run on autopilot and move to another project.
Freedom is the ultimate goal for most humans. The freedom to decide ones own fate. You could CHOOSE to go home and start a family and get a day job. It wouldn't be as soul crushing as it is for a lot of people, because that is your choice.
That is really the goal of increasing my own wealth. Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy freedom.
There are many different ways of approaching the question, all of them valid. One is the inherent danger often seen in the form of "old money". Someone born into money who never has to work is at a high risk for becoming completely whacked in the head. Without a goal or purpose they drift aimlessly. Usually the ones who don't have found a cause to dedicate themselves to.
Musicians love to get a buzz on when we play. But when we're not playing often enough, careers are stalled and so forth, then the line is crossed from "coping a buzz" into "substance abuse".
Much of the answer depends on the individual. In your case you're constantly on to the next horizon and learning a new language (especially Chinese, more so Kanji) takes quite a bit of time and focus. Hardly the sign of an aimless drifter. For others, including myself, limitations provide a needed framework that focuses our intention and attention.
You remind me a lot of myself...I'm 20 now and I wonder where I will end up in later years. I see life as a big sandbox and we are free to experiment and play how we want...make it our own.
First of all, hats off to you, for being where you are- living with joy and doing the things you love!
BRAVO! You are a great source of inspiration to us all. Thank you!
And as to freedom?
That means you have alot of free time!
This is a great time to think about things some people "think" they are too busy to think about: Life, what's it all about? What happens when it's all over?
Question: Is there such as thing as too much freedom?
Answer: No.
Hmmm . . . I think too much freedom is a bad thing, unless it's a break after working your ass off. Everyone needs a dream and a purpose and a need.
I know what you mean though. I go to Europe for 6 weeks with my laptop and people are like "did you have a nice break?" I was working like I always do.
It seems to me that you're on a quest and a search and really you're not free because you're riding the quest to where it will take you. Location is irrelevant.
Did you not answer this question with your previous post (Write? Write. Sleep? Sleep. Read? Read. Don't fight it. ...)?
Go inward, Derek. Inward.
Henney Youngman's fammous quip For our vacation I took my wife to a place she had never been. The kitchen.
Hey man, it's time to take a trip within. Meditate, baby.
Love, B
In "The Way of The Superior Man", there's a chapter on living your purpose and that your purpose can change at a moments notice. One instance you can be completely involved with a project, or whatever, then the next be uninterested and ready to move on. But there's nothing wrong with doing nothing in the time between, while you're awaiting your next direction. Sounds like you might be in that place.
There's no such thing as too much freedom. If you have to contemplate it, then your ahead of 99.9999% of the population.
Oh, and by the way, another word for complete is finished. Perhaps a more fitting word is fulfilled.
Io faccio sempre quello che mi và,a volte faccio troppo e altre volte faccio troppo poco,altre volte non faccio niente,perchè siamo niente e niente torneremo ad essere,cerchiamo solo di fare tutto quello che abbiamo voglia di fare,tanto la vita passa lo stesso e la destinazione è sempre la stessa per tutti,ricchi o poveri,alti o bassi,magri o obesi.
Freedom is a state of mind. If you need to live in many different places, then do it. You realize there are very few variants to the human species. Landscapes change, but peoples hopes and dreams don't. We all want to succeed, to love and be loved.
I'm as free as I'd ever hope. I need someone grounding me a bit. I have 2 tiny children. Everything else is irrelevant to me now. Nothing else is really very important.
My success is great in their eyes!
I would find out what I was afraid of, I mean reeeally afraid of, and go do it.
After many years, countless jobs, etc.. I finally found a job (self-employment) that pays my bills, a wife that lets me be me, I work six months out of the year, bank money, play music, get up on my own time/schedule etc... It's this freedom that allows me to be happy and satisfied. BUT I love my studio, instruments, booking as many shows as I can and the responsibilities that I have chosen...the answer is in the word chosen...I could never live the freedom you have but I'm NOT you so we all have to find that happy place on our own, I would however love to leave that word JOB behind me and am working to make that a reality... at least I am happy in the meantime....
UFO JIM...
Certain places in the world...
are inhabited by a "Genius Loci"...
One of the things that drive me once freedom is accomplished is to help raise the standard of living in society. I know it's a bold ambition but I think in this day and age - no one should be starving, homeless, or have no drinking water.
I want to build online wealth distribution systems that acquires wealth and distributes it the needy.
Let's make a difference!
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
I'll just keep moving, keep walking as long as I could sustain it as long as it interest me, if I get tired of always traveling I'll stop until I get the desire to so again. Kind like the way I treat dining in the city, one day I'll have some Italian dishes, next Thai, then perhaps some Jamaican, after that I try Mexican.
As for work, I love my work so I will never want to stop working. I always have something I want do.
Is there such a thing as too much freedom?
Well you don't really have too much freedom. You still can't travel to mars or to deepest part of the ocean. Still have to pay taxes or rent, still have to eat and sleep, and obey all the laws of physics..
I wish I didn't have to sleep...
We are always there, whether we realize it or not. Every moment is a choice.
No.....
All our lives, everyone tells us we need "structure", "schedules", and etc. but to me total freedom is awesome. I've had it (and made the most of it while it lasted), don't have it now, and can't wait to get it back.
To be unrestrained and able to live at your own pace - pursue your dreams and goals, and do the work you're meant to do, the work that matters - to you AND others - is the greatest feeling in the world.
I believe we're all here for a purpose, and when we aren't fulfilling that purpose, whatever it is, we're imprisoning ourselves and robbing the world of our talents. When we're free, we fulfill that purpose.
The door to the need for such unlimited freedom of time will slowly close, when you put the needs of your children before the needs of yourself. If you want to experience it all Derek, have children with a woman you love, and learn the ultimate lesson in true love. You will learn more and be enriched in ways you NEVER could expect.
Also, I just asked my 14 year old uber jock son the "What do you do..." question, and he said without pause, "EVERYTHING!"
Whatever you find in front of you.
Freedom and your personal choice?
-Only you can determine the amount of "Freedom" you truly have!
-Even without any choices there are still infinite decisions.
It's about the Journey, not the Destination. But you already know that.
I felt similar to you recently. I am not nearly as free as you, per se, in that my company needs me... But I'm like one of your other commentators in that I would somewhat lost without my local day-to-day here, though that's starting to slip away with new subs I'm training to take over parts of my business..
I got really bored/tired thinking about how in 10 years I'll know exactly where I'll be because I've basically planned much of the financial hardship out of my life.
I decided (and it's the best thing I've done so far in life) this year to take on 2 people and try to make them successful at whatever their dreams are. I'm helping one guy record a full record since he doesn't have the wherewithal to do it... then I'm going to hand him off to my A&R buddy and home for the best.. The other guy is now starting to work for me and has actually been a great help in the process.
Again, I think your level of FREEDOM trumps mine, but I wonder if you're really asking about freedom from financial burdens and the ability to travel or if you're really asking what to do once you've accomplished all of your goals and exceeded your own expectations. THAT I can relate to. Depressed me for nearly a month.
Best to you!
Yes, I think too much freedom can actually inhibit one's growth.
There is beauty in obligation. In contract. In being confined. When we have too many options to pursue, we pursue none of them to any meaningful depth. We keep darting off, out of boredom.
It's only when we're forced to sit & wrestle with a confined situation that we're still long enough for enlightenment to come along and smack us in the forehead.
You don't live in any of those places...you live in your head wherever you are...if you can't be happy there and solve that riddle then going anywhere physically doesn't matter...what are you imagining you will find somewhere else?...you are fooling yourself. Too much freedom?...nonsense...is it just an excuse so that you can invent rules for yourself to satisfy some arbitrary goal to make you feel temporarily fulfilled?...doesn't that point at a sense of emptiness?...I have no answers either. Having a dialogue with someone who shares your view helps one to feel a little less alone in the world and that is a marvelous thing.
Hi Derek: freedom is a personal definition. I chose to Move the world, reach for the Cosmos
nice story.
Reading your blog, I was reminded of a conversation my partner and I had recently. We were tossing around our options for places to live and we realized there are a few places we are quite curious to possible explore. We've travelled more these past few years, on tours and just for fun. I have developed a great love for the city of Amsterdam, and for the Nederlanders way of life. Bicycles and boats are the best mode of travel and they are everywhere. I also would like to try living in India for a time, exploring a very different culture, and such a spiritual center on the planet. As an experiment, this August I moved from Ontario to the French province of Quebec, in Canada. It has been a greatly enriching experience so far. The language is exciting to learn, and the French culture is so favourable to the arts. Yet, it may be that in the end we will decide to try living in the Netherlands, after living there for a part of the spring and summer I have been feeling quite homesick for it's charm. The one thing that is wonderful about this kind of experience, is that you really get clear about your priorities in life. Travel is a great way to find out what being a global citizen is really all about. You can grow so much when you reach beyond your usual and perhaps oh, so predictable horizons. My interest and concerns about global environmental issues, came sharply into focus lately. The more time you spend in another culture the easier it is to see that we are all just people, no matter what colour our skin or where we live, and it's up to us "to pull together" to keep this world alive. You could write a book after you get tired of moving around..have a great trip!
We can have everything but yet have nothing. There is a void
in our life that cannot be
fulfilled with things, because we
will still be unsatisfied. True
happiness comes from the acceptance of Christ in our hearts and following him. The Lord is Good and he loves us!
What to do if you CAN do anything and DON't HAVE to do anything? Well, I would assume that you would do what you like the most at that point. In my immature days, that might have been drinking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, it might be shaping up some people that I know have potential into making a small army in which to tackle some issues that I feel strongly about.
Those of us who have not been successful (yet) and are looking for new ways to handle situations are lucky to have someone like you that is out there, on the blogs and in the industry (?) to show us that our ways of thinking and our actions may be questionable.
I suppose you will keep doing what you like doing most - at any given time. I will keep taking these posts and re-evaluating my position.
Thanks!
The funny thing is, we all need to be asking ourselves the exact same question, answering it, and then doing whatever our answer is, regardless of our current circumstances.
Derek,
If you're travelling the world and working on your laptop all the time, writing these wonderful inspiring posts, programming, building new companies you won't need to run, it harkens a question: Why do you feel the need to do the same thing (your work) in different places all over the world? It seems to me that with every move you're just working in a new room with a new language and a different dinner menu. Why not put the laptop down for a while (figuratively, not literally) and step into the real world culture of the places you inhabit. Maybe try becoming a rice farmer if you move to China. Step outside of yourself and find a new connection with the people you choose to call neighbors for a while and maybe you'll see these moves as more than just different rooms in the same house. Maybe then you'll really see the world in a different light.
The same thing we do every night, Pinky... try to take over the WORLD.
For you, I doubt there would ever be too much freedom because you can figure out how to live your ideal life without too much constraint. For our American society I think yes we have too much freedom and look what has happened and is happening. Although I am not, at least trying not, to put too much judgement on that. I just live differently than a lot of folks. Change happens everywhere to everything. You find what you love and stay with that, until the next right thing. Adapt. Count your blessings. That's all.
It's simple really, you go where you want when you want and stay untill you choose to go elsewhere. You do what you choose when you choose untill you choose something else to do.
With the constant movement you've experienced i'd say that everything you encountered served a purpose. I guess if you grow and also have planted seeds along the way , you seem to have always had just enough. Freedom seems to work from the inside out.
Alone
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Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Maya Angelou
Derek, I always enjoy and learn a great deal from your posts. Thank you.
In response to this post, I think the ultimate answer is that one should strive to serve that which is greater than all of us and every thing. Material things mean nothing in the end. What does all our hard work get us, in the end?
I'm slowly coming to the realization that if we stop worrying about everything in life and dedicate our lives to that which really matters (I am deliberately vague here), everything will happen the way it should, and our purpose will become evident and we will truly make a difference.
Thank you, again, for everything!
Freedom... or fear?
Being able to wake up and choose how you spend your day is wonderful, I'd never despute that. But... constantly letting go of everything in your life sounds more like fear than freedom. It sounds like fear of attachment, fear of disappointment, fear of commitment, and mainly fear of having people expect things of of you and fear of one day letting them down.
Exploration of the world is a wonderful pursuit, but systematically erradicating everything in your life that ties you to people and places is self-depreciating. You said yourself that you often don't even let anyone know where you are. Unless you are in the witness protection program that just isn't healthy.
I would ask you... who is there to witness your life? I'm not talking about the big things that you do publically, but the intimate, quiet moments when you are just being you. What pieces of yourself will you leave behind when your time on this earth is done, and who will be there to share them with those who come after?
Life is a journey (and freedom can make that journey wonderful and exciting) but without purpose and people, it simply becomes selfish, meaningless and a lot of wasted time.
Your notes on the Paradox of Choice stated that "As the number of choices grows further, the negatives escalate until we become overloaded. At this point, choice no longer liberates, but debilitates." Based on this assumption:
The cool thing is that you've always been free.
Where do you go when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere? Maybe nowhere, if you overthink it.
What do you do when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything? Maybe nothing, if you overthink it.
Your childhood shaped your wandering ways and made you a millenium hippie (and for that, we are all grateful
Great online community. Thanks.
What a life , I am retired now and have all this freedom, i play golf 3 or 4 days a week, play music, everyday, I raised 4 beutiful kids, have 10 fantastic grand kids.
Thats Gods reward, But would I be content, if I didn t pray and meditate every day, NO, You were blessed with money,enjoy it. Journey Within, and Thank God For your freedom.
Optimist: The glass is half full.
Pessimist: The glass is half empty.
Cat: It's raining.
Derek: Why am I wet?
The only response I fully agree with is number 14. Most people don't understand the feeling you're talking about. (You've probably figured that out after reading all the responses.) But I do. No matter how you try to explain it to people, they'll just envy you. It's a strange position to be in. That's just my two cents.
Derek:
Love will change your life. Yes, perhaps your new love will want to move all over, certainly will want to travel a lot, since this is one of the characteristics that you will insist upon before making such a commitment.
But there is still the issue of children. Once you have kids, and they become school-age, you won't be able to move as freely. Yes, I suppose you could hire tutors to travel with you or teach them where-ever you land, but they will want friends to interact with daily.
Perhaps you'll decide that you don't want kids, but I'm betting you have not ruled that out yet. They are magical. I cannot see you passing up the opportunity to experience this magic. Or the endless love that flows.
At some point, Derek, you will realize that what is important are not things, but people. You seem to have realized half of that so far.
It is when you actually commit yourself to the needs of others who care to you - your family, your friends, your children - that you may decide that it is important to be near & around them, to interact personally (and not just remotely) with them, that truly matters!
Best wishes ...
Your friend,
Beth
Financial freedom, now go do the things in life that cost nothing! Because you can!
If it was me, I'd call up Les Stroud, and tell him you want to go in the middle of nowhere and learn survival skills (or maybe Tom Brown Jr). It would give you something that you can not obtain with money -- well that is my take on things!
I gotta say thanks for CDbaby -- we just ranked #2 under the genre BLACK METAL today + a few other genres (Forever Mourning).
Be well,
Ryan
Significant connections with people do not mean they need to know where you are every minute of the day, or indeed that you need to share every banal moment with each other. To trust and allow each other ultimate freedom is the quest. To love ...whether they are by your side or not.
Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.
Rainer Maria Rilke
It's simple really. You go where you want, when you want. And do what you want, when you want.
I like #5, and I stopped reading there, but even that much provided interesting perspectives...
There is nowhere to go, really. Wherever you go, there you be. I kinda relate with the "feeling like home" and then desiring a new surrounding. In the past few years I've moved thrice, and one more coming up. I'm inspired by your lifestyle and being able to "work" from whatever destination you choose. More people are doing this everyday, as the global community both expands, and unites. My hope is that archaic borders soon disappear, but I'm sure that is a ways off yet...
You're never alone when you are at peace with yourself. There are ideas and inspirations all around, and there is definitely more to life than simply "doing" or acquiring things, building businesses, paying taxes, travelling, etc. I think our scope is dramatically handicapped by what Western blinders, based on what our system currently teaches about careers and such. It's very good that you have aspired and achieved far beyond that.
Just being and doing what you do will encourage and embolden others to consider what is of real importance in life, open their minds as to modern business practices, always to learn and grow, and to be available to be of service if/when something that resonates should materialize.
Some might interpret your motivations as selfish, but I think that's rather short-sighted. One man's contentment reverberates into the masses and uplifts everyone else, if only a little. Beliefs and paradigms need shifting from time to time, and thus the ease with which you pursue your challenges is a beacon and indeed a service of sorts to all who will listen: life is about the journey.
We're only as free as we allow ourselves to be.
So few are fortunate to have this "problem". I would travel the world and try to make a difference... Learn what I can, do what is right, and love.
"Freedom's just another word for nothing else to lose. Nothing ain't worth nothing, but its free." When you've seen & done everything on the outside its time to go deeply inside. Maybe its time to have a kid? Caring for a person outside of yourself will teach you more than all the freedom in the world ever will.
Derek,
Someday I hope I get the chance to show you what you've been searching for.
Til then, rock on.
Jon
The answer is simple: Do what makes you happy! Live where you feel content!
Derek, you answered your questions with:
"I'm definitely happy and complete, so there's no sense of longing or lacking. Just a constant pursuit of learning and experiencing all I can before I die."
You ARE doing what makes you happy!
Thanks,
Robert
You could always just give your money to me and live without so many choices again
Just kidding. You deserve it, go enjoy.
Personally, I think I'd go for a small cottage in rural Ireland, and just read a lot of fiction.
Maybe teach at the local school so I have something worthwhile to do.
You've come full circle bro! When you were a kid you lived in 5 states and countries by the time you were 5 without responsibilities and now you're doing the same thing. I'd be weary about China's unstable government, 3rd world diseases, crime and stuff like that. Drifting can be dangerous. To answer your questions: follow your heart, let it be your conscience. Be careful and stay well...
You have made enough great choices in your life that panned out and leveraged yourself enough to be in a position to help the world.
Yes - to continue to be a service, and guidance to those in need.
So - really you are not completely free. No one is ever really free of their own self.
No matter how much you do - you are always going to want to do more.
You actually have given yourself more responsibility.
And look at all time you have ahead to fulfill those responsibilities
It is great that you can now chose which and when to take on those responsibilities.
You already have made a difference in the world.
You just keep on making a difference.
I hope to be able to do more for the world around me as I move through life.
Yes indeed..............
Thanks for being there Derek. This world could use more people such as you.
Maybe that is your calling now - to find others such as yourself and help guide them and keep them on the positive path. Maybe?...............
If I was ever fortunate enough to be in your position I would look for ways to help others. By doing this I would no doubt end up losing some of that freedom. But I think it would be a worthwhile sacrifice.
I agree with Alex, CD baby could use your expertise.
As to freedom, too much of anything might not be so good, however free choice is what we were given from GOD we just need to make positive ones.
The Paradox of Choice - Why More is Less - by Barry Schwartz
Learn to Love Constraints
By deciding to follow a rule, we avoid having to make a deliberate decision again and again.
Some constraints also keeps us safe.
When you're not free, you have a sense of freedom
The answer is obvious: help others.
And, Barry Schwartz is an idiot. Poverty isn't about money. Poverty is about having many choices, all of which suck. Wealth is about having many choices, at least some of which are great. Having fewer choices just increases the likelihood of becoming poor.
The Paradox of Choice is written from the perspective of someone who has good choices. It has nothing to say to someone who isn't wealthy. Giving a poor person more choices CAN ONLY MAKE THEM MORE WEALTHY.
Funny you write this article now.
I've been travelling for almost 15 years now.
Currently on tour in Japan with Cirque du Soleil until June 2010.
My wife has a position to work for the Canadian Foreign Services which can send her (and I) anywhere in the world.
This leads us to a awkward position. I can continue with Cirque for another 18 months which would send us to Russia, Australia and other Asian countries...
... or I could decide to stop and follow my wife to let her achieve her own goals...
... or we could decide to take a break in France or Canada or anywhere else.
No answers yet. Sometimes I feel like I have too many choices and it's as hard as having none.
It's all exciting though. I know we'll be fine as long as we're not 10000km away for too long.
never stop seeking. you always HAVE to do something. No one has everything, even if they think they do. Right now, what do you HAVE to do? you HAVE to ask those questions.
Which is exactly what you're did. So that's awesome.
thanks derek-
I've often wished I had enough money to do what I want to do in life and not what I must do to make ends meet.
I've often thought money would solve all my problems but friends have pointed out to me that I would quickly become bored not having resposibility. I still disagree.
Everyone needs goals and things to motivate them. That's the answer. Whether it's moving around the world, or volunteering in Africa to help feed the starving. Contributing and keeping yourself busy with the things you love is true success in my mind.
And I also believe having family and friends is a core part of living a happy life.
For the most part, it sounds like your life is pretty sweet! My only concern is that one day you will wake up and feel like you're in the movie, Groundhog's Day. :(
What about recording an album? You've got the means to pull together a kickass group of musicians and producers... why not?I'll help ya!
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose... Nothing ain't worth nothing but it's free."
(Just noticed Karen latched onto the same song. Must say the kid thing crossed my mind too..)
Anyway it is hard to not perceive there is a certain emptiness or lack of meaningful direction propelling you to write this and I wonder, is it truly possible to be "happy and complete" at this perilous planetary crossroads. At peace, perhaps, in a healthy if detached sort of way, but there is so much that is aching to be done- so much that "has" to be done now if we are going to make it. And these tasks go beyond helping musicians lessen their work load or sell CDs. (Although I am appreciative of what you have created. Still, they are businesses not services to date and I feel you asking - isn't there something more?)
As an aside, I agree with Alex - CD Baby is a real mess right now...
Blessings on your path!
That was hands down the best blog topic this year.Thanks for sharing that with us Derek.
I've always believed choice to be the ultimate luxury. I've often wondered "what would I do if I had all the money I could ever want?" the first thing that comes to mind is jump a plane to europe (because I've never been there), buy my mom a house (because she's never owned one). The most important life lesson I've ever learned though is "It's not where you are or what you do, its the COMPANY YOU KEEP"
If I had all the time/money to do what I wanted I would dote on and spend time with the people I loved because without them life is pretty bleak even with all the freedom.
ps CDbaby is absolutely not the same without you Derek, the personal voice of the emails, the friendliness of staff on the phone, the simplicity of the website....gone. Now it feels like every other big corporation who cares more about profits than customer service.
you don't HAVE to do anything or BE anywhere that you don't want. I think if you're living your life truly, then the answer to these questions- where would you be and what would you be doing if you didn't have to, is- "exactly what I'm doing and where I am now".
you can not have to much freedom if you have direction. Hey Vincent Cordell thats really funny, because I just fell in love with a clown from slava's snow show while they were in Mel. Yeah thats a hard one. good luck
I think the Beatles summed it up best with this lyric: "And in the end..the love you take is equal to the love you make."
Your use of freedom is really a way of escaping the lack of real structure and defined purpose that life holds.
While we all strive for a level of freedom we are all bound by rules and regulations not to mention the structure that is required of just keeping a grasp of life's many challenges.
I think you have lost yourself in the questions you ask and therefore are unable to be a normal participant in the "rat race" we call life.
I've always loved to sing since I was 5 that was my freedom! Also there's freedom in the Lord!
sounds like it's time to have kids.. the most rewarding and unpredictable of all adventures.
I've often pondered this question as it is my main goal too- pay off bills/debts and be able to live the "free" life. But it's true- what is free- and it comes down to the question what is truth? what are we living for? I hope that you search your heart honestly and can find it- That God made this universe and without him- there is no meaning to life. I'll be praying for you and thanks for doing a lot of things you do- may you find that deeper purpose of loving and serving God and others.As Soloman said it (the wisest, richest mans with close to 1,000 wives/concubines) "All is vanity, vanity- but the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord"
I presume you've heard the Buddist mantra: Life is suffering, and all suffering is the result of desire. We all have desires and we all feel lost sometimes (I once wrote a song about my desires, which closely resembles the life you are actually living.) The Buddists believe that to reach "nirvanna" you need to release yourself from desire (which includes the desire to live). But I believe that to truly be human, to truly be happy, we must have desires, we must be a little lost, and we must still ponder our future. This is what allows us to gauge the weight of our happiness.
Derek,
Normally, I find your posts interesting. Not this one.
First, let's start with your second question, because it encompasses your first: what do you do when you CAN do anything but don't have to DO anything?
Um, there are plenty of things you can't do. You can't fly. You can't stop eating. You can't stop global warming. You can't solve health care. You can't breathe underwater (unassisted). And on and on and on.
Further, once you ask the first part of your question, you're done, you don't need the second part.
To me, you suffer from a failure of imagination. Really, you can't think of anything you want to do but can't or, at least, haven't figured how to do? Please, I know you don't believe this.
Not sure how old you are but I'm going to assume you're younger than me (I'm 46) and you've posted the above because you think you've really made it and you think you have a position others might envy. You're right, clearly from the the comments plenty envy you. They should not. You sound bored, unfocused, uninspired, uninteresting (a terrible thing for a blogger!).
One last thing: what you reference as the Paradox of Choice I have heard described as the despair of infinity. Whatever the term, you're suffering from it.
Repent! I want my old Derek Sivers back. The guy who bet the farm on CD Baby -- and won!
Do something -- even if you can't. You only get one ride on this merry-go-round. Don't waste it as a member of the idle rich.
Jeff Shattuck
i believe that you cannot have too much freedom, you can WASTE it, but freedom is a very liberating thing..what would I do if i could do anything and i had enough money to be free..? i would go to as many towns as i could and have open auditions for singers, and musicians who can't quit their day job to do what they love and who are just waiting for a break...and i would give them that break early on, foot the bill for their recording or pay their bills for 6 months so they wouldn't waste precious time pursuing their dream if they were not so lucky enough to know the "right" people...there are SO many people who are deserving of a chance and i would help them find their freedom, too...it is my vow to help as many people i meet along the way..that's what i would do..
I don't have the kind of physical freedom you're talking about at the moment, but if I did, I'd still be doing the same things I'm doing now - writing music, practicing, recording, and trying to find ways to reach those people who would benefit from hearing my music (maybe with a different view through my window, but still the same activities).
Freedom to me is about having the resources to do what you love without having a day job.
Derek, I think you have set yourself up for too many opinions here...It doesn't really matter what any of us think, this is your life. I send you my support in anything you may choose for whatever reason. And, thank you for giving me the best opportunity I've had to market my music...Many blessings,
Arlene Faith
I was in London recently and loved the parks there,
now I´m in Bogota, and I´m loving the parks here,
Nature is lovely wherever I go,
Since you are a honest and good man, I will let you in on secret information - something I only share with select friends after they have children and never before.
Until you become a parent you aren't really attached to the earth - you're just floating. When you become a parent, you are anchored to the earth and the future. We are hardwired in our DNA to become parents - certain things are only released during parenthood. I'll stop here - I've already said too much.
Upon reading this your brain will rationalize it to be untrue - that's normal. But, it is true.
The idea of what freedom is is different to everyone. Like you I'm one of those people who are driven to learn. At the same point I'm also driven to create in many ways.
One thing I would really like to do sometime soon is take cooking lessons in different countries. Along with learning the languages of said countries. And the musical background as well.
Can I have a grant?
Live a little, be a gypsy, get around
(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground,
live a little, get around.
an ephemeral concept. i had just enough for when following the call of the wild was absolutely the purest, most divine path one could choose. even then, there was never enough freedom, but the overall bliss which comes of independent lifeways and long intervals of silence communing with nature more than made up for the absence of even greater liberties and luxuries.
Nice picture! Like Yves Klein when he jumped out a window. Can't remember if it was himself that said the artist was most free in the centre of a jump. Of course he ended up hitting the ground and in hospital. So any sustained freedom is bliss, even if it involves a crash! as the experience is more than a life. Enjoy your freedom and may it continue!
funny i was playing a show tonite
thought of your blog posts
i find you inspiring
that you keep processing and trying to make sense of things trying to get to the core of what you should be doing. or what you even want to be doing.
you "have it all" from a certain perspective
but still you are searching.
i like this.
you are in new york now!
maybe see you at a show.
there is no such concept as too much free time! free time is the blue print for world peace and harmony, always on the go, always meeting deadlines, (think about that word for a second), leads to deceptions illness disagreements, and here we are where we are in the world today. true freedom is about creativity, peace of mind, and peace in your heart, if the world was not so busy trying to out do the world, we be a lot better off as people of the world...
freedom's just another word for nothing left to do.
when was the last time you were in a band?
Dear Derek,
great post, as always.
But this time it seems like it's you that are asking an advice to us...
Your thought touches a really hard question about the purpose of our lives.
Most of the people work hard and hard everyday to reach their dreams, thinking that once they have reached them, they will be happy for the rest of their lives.
But is it really like this? Or is just "walking the hard path to reach the dream" the interesting part, and once you're arrived you don't know anymore how to spend your time?
So the question that you are asking could be answered better after this one: what's your dreams now?
I wish you a great day,
Gabriele
p.s. although I follow you since many years and you inspired me so much that I really changed my life, this is my first post to your blog! Thank you very much for every single thought you have shared!
p.p.s. DON'T MOVE TO CHINA!! Then you blog will be under police control, and they will put you in jail!! ;)
How can anyone consider themselves free in a world where children suffer needlessly?
If you feel truly free... denial may be your goal.
If I had such resources and so much time, and you may be headed this direction, I would bring that beacon of wisdom and gift for guidance you own and help as many young people make selfless choices as I possibly could until my dying breath.
Perhaps we could all ride that wave to a beach where truly selfish pursuits seem more like a distant memory than a tangible measure of freedom.
good food for thought
I wish I had your freedom, but I am tied down by red tape so far
philosophically speaking absolute freedom does not exist, so the issue of too much freedom is relative or faux (since one never attains absolute one).
Derek,
Although I am completely different than you in my background and in my pursuits, I can relate to your story. I recall realizing in my 20's that I avoided learning useful skills (or fitting into societal niches) so that I could be free to follow my own bliss. Unlike you, my pursuit of freedom kept me in my home town, exploring life and my inner world as it unfolded there. It strikes me as plausible that our different approaches can be tied to upbringing. I was raised by incredibly stable parents. (My great desire growing up was for something out of the ordinary to happen - a move, a death, anything to switch things up!) At 17, I, too, went to college as far away from home as possible. But I returned shortly thereafter, and stayed, finding my drama and the inner journey within the microcosm of my home city.
Thanks for sharing, it's illuminating to hear your perspective and to see correlations. I will also echo others' comments and say that as a die-hard responsibility-eschewing free-spirit, having a child 9 years ago brought me clarity and inspiration and took me to places I never could have reached in my wildest dreams. And the journey continues. . . .
If you are already at the end then you should do something that is actually challenging for you. Both, physically and mentally. Like climbing everest. Or, maybe that isn't a challenge to you. I believe you've got to keep challenging yourself. Because to get to where you are now you were consistently challenging yourself. The moment you believe you don't have ANYWHERE to be or have ANYTHING to do is when you stop challenging yourself. Because you do have somewhere to be. You do have something to do. You have to be at the next checkpoint when it's time or your spirit will leave you behind in mediocrity. I don't believe it's hard to keep up either. You only have to be honest with yourself about how you are challenging yourself.
hmmm it's hard to measure "amounts" of freedom....what are it's units?
What if you are free but don't realise it?
What if you are not free but think you are?
QUESTION: Where do you go, when you CAN be anywhere, and don't HAVE to be anywhere?
MY POV: Yes, it is a sad side of this paradox when ones presence is not mandatory anywhere - it 'hurts' not to be critically needed and to realize it...the cure may be to start an animal refuge, an orphanage or go get a dog or adopt/sponsor a child(ren)...being needed will help you determine where to lay your beanie...but then it doesn't sound like you really WANT to be needed...
~~~~
QUESTION: What do you do, when you CAN do anything, and don't HAVE to do anything?
POV: First, do everything you can not to waste time asking/pondering the same questions with different wordings. And I also don't agree (as others have psoted above) that 'total freedom' means you can do 'anything' - - physical limitations aside, there are many things you cannot do even with the freedom you enjoy. I can give you a list.
If there's nothing YOU MUST do, then I would suggest that in your next post, you ask all your readers to send you their personal 'things-to-do' lists - - - and get busy being 'needed' again.
~~~~
QUESTION: Is there such a thing as too much freedom?
My POV: Are you serious? Do you also enjoy these types of 'circular references' in your programming endeavors?
Since many 'Freedoms' can be shared, thereby reducing one's overabundance, asking if there can be "too much freedom" is sounding oxymoronic in this context.
If one has the perception of having 'too much freedom', then I would speculate that one has yet to discover their truest calling...
Short answer to all three: Don't waste your great genes dude - - I have been asked almost identical questions from other friends in positions similar to yours - the common denominator of those who so inquire?
They were all childless at the time they asked me this...
I have two thoughts on this Derek, one of envy and one of pity (although they sound harsh they are only the 'best match' words I can think of at 8am). I am envious that the world is your playground, you have the money to spend in that playground and that unless you take up an expensive cocaine habit, your funds should allow you to play until you cease to be.
On the other hand I do feel quite sad for you as you seem to have no one who relies on you, depends on you (loves you?) or who would be devastated if you didn't come 'home'
However, it's all about balance isn't it, everything needs to be balanced. Too much freedom is as bad (or possibly worse?) than not enough of it. The area of equilibrium has to be defined by you.
If I had all that freedom (and financial independance) it would probably push me to do some more voluntary work.
I enjoy your posts Derek as they always make me stop and think which in these rushed times, is a good thing.
Enjoy that playground while you have the health and wealth to do so!
Love & kisses from Liverpool
I remember once being at the Kruger National Park in South Africa, watching Lion and Elephants over the vast beautiful African savannah. But because I had a song idea in my head, I wanted to get to my studio in rainy old Leeds,UK to get it down!
I suppose where you want to be, has a lot to do with what you want to do!
My overwhelming sense when I read this is that you've systematically removed community from your experience leaving a drifters loneliness in your soul. Forgive me if this sounds extreme but I really did conclude you may as well be already dead. Sorry for any offence
I can see how it'd seem that way, but I connect with people easily, and have friends (and even romances) wherever I go. Then I keep in touch with friends worldwide by phone, email, and visits. So I'm actually more social than I've ever been in my life. I feel I've got a big community of warm friends, just spread out. -- Derek
I think we go to what we know best" Our original home "!
Wow Derek!
I love you man! It's so wonderful to know someone who has done exactly what they want or at least have the power to be able to be free!
When I think of what binds me to my original destination, which is creating Art and Music, yes I agree, my home is that next little spot where I set up and sculpt a large stone or paint on location and I have my paints around me or my tools to sculpt and somehow I set up and make a comfortable little nest. It's a solution for the time being.
I too was on my own early and we moved so much it was sickening. My dad was a bank manager and in those days every year or so, on the move. After a while you know it's going to happen so you detach from long term friends and some things don't really matter because you know you'll be gone soon and you'd best not get too attached.
Isn't that what life is itself. It will be gone soon...our lives really are so short..just a little blip of light flashing on and flashing off. What can we do to make that last to give comfort, to break the norm and say, no I am not going to just be a quick flash I am going to last forever? We make Art, we make music. The song goes on forever, the large granite stone sculptings I do will far outlive me or will they? They too will turn to dust but it's all about the statment the devotion of energy. Perhaps this is your love of China... The Chinese have a much different view of life and work and reasoning that reaches far into the future. It's a devotion of many energies with the reaalization of oneness and a sense of purpose not unlike the order created by an ant colony where they work for the entire colony. I would truly love to work within one of your companies mainly because I have a sense of devotion to your visions. I often ponder cdbaby and what a master piece it is in itself. It's a wonderful ant colony full of individualism yet all with the same sense of purpose of oneness. Everyone working toward that common goal ""Freedom of expression ". If you listen to my many songs by Open Eye Universe, you'll hear many timelss messages that don't conform to normal song writing and yes they perhaps could have had better guitar or better this or that. It's easy to criticize but they have something that perhaps has more valuue than anything, a devotion to understanding the human experience and in many cases the opposite of our western culture whereas we learn to abandon materialism and ego and we become "" The Homeless Brother" which is a common Buddhist practice and is admired by many in the culture you are currently studying. Why would anyone go and be a hermite and abondon all of the human character defects and such? Because those things destroy us whiile we are alive and suck the very goodness from us! That's why! but what do you do once you have achieved that freedom or rather balance from inbalance, ying from yang,,in tune with the Universe,, child or energy of the Universe that is positive and serving to others with a sense of purpose of being positive and helpful. We smile, we enjoy the true beauty of life and the stars and the wonder of this world and it's short lives all with their own special story! I wonder at all things, I gaze at their beauty and I also realize that every poerson good or bad or what ever is sent to me to show me something , teach me something and sometimes I need to withdraw and not be open or I'll be hurt without realizing that they have an intense fire that may burn. I need to remember caution of the burning fire but also that there is an intense beauty in it.
I have spent a great deal of time with oboriginal people and they love a good fire and to laugh! I have had many troubles in my life and unlike you I have been restricted by having no money and not being able to do what I really want so I needed to learn to live with what I had. I studied Buddhism after I had broken my back and was striken with chronic pain. It's like being in a terrible little prison or box that chokes the very being. I needed to find freedom, just like you speak of but without the money, without resources. Then I realized I had everything I needed close by. A good fire is still the best friend you can have when the cold sets in. Laughter is still the most wonderful thing that can happen when tragedy is all about you. Making the very most of exactly what is around you and making that little nest, the few things you need and desire, only what you basically need and detach from the rest unless it becomes something that will inspire, like Steve martin in the Movie The Jerk" And that's all I need... and then he adds his baseball glove,,,,his favorite shirt,,, or what ever it may be next. A sense of comfort...!
So where is all this leading. What am I getting at?
It all goes back to where you started in the first place. Your soul, my soul, everyone's soul is on a restless journey. We both started out making music, Art, freedom of expression.. It all leads back to that home..performing..serving others...playing the song...creating the art..but the gig changes every night and every day..there's always a new scene to paint and new stone to sculpt and new song to perform or create and a new audience to play it to and isn't that home? No matter where we are we still create that little nest... we still seek that next freedom.
I sense I'm feeling just as restless as you are at this very time. I had a great gig and didn't think or know it was going to end and I am in between things and living on pretty mmuch nothing and am at the mercy of someone who has decided to be kind to me but that too will probably end. I can accept all of that. I own my car and it is a good car and runs well and I suspect much like your freedom of being able to live or fly anywhere and live my car presents itself the same way. There are many things I wish I could do right now that I can't and I have to weigh that out. Do I really need to do that? Perhaps the actual energies of the universe are bumping me along the way they want not how I think I am guiding myself. Is China really going to answer the restlessness in your soul, your desire to seek that next freedom and put you in a space where you can say...aaaaah I've finally found where I want to be?! It may for a while and there is true wonder in the many beautiful and historic places in China but perhaps it may all end up being so different that the only thing that will seem right is where it all began..back home in Portland Oregon ..that place you know so well and where your roots began..where you decided not only to have a site to sell your own music but where you decided to serve and help others and a miracle happened. You were given a freedom. A special freedom. HHave you ever had one of those moments where you couldn't get there fast enough... where you had a realization that... I now feel I need to be in that place where" The nest" fulfilled all that I wanted and desired more than anything else? I have always found it happens with familiar surroundings. There is a comfort in it just like that fire we build when it's cold and we sit and gaze at that fire and for the time being nothing else matters. If we have a little food and a hot drink there is comfort and then perhaps a little laughter, accepting all of the oddities of life just the way they are....acceptance determines the level of serenity we have and serenity is everything. Somehow things seem best when we go back home, where ever that is, what ever that is. For some us as creative people home is a travelling spot where we set up that nest over and over and over. So be it. This is fine. Knowing that I can perform for people, add a little comfort to their day comforts and sooths my restless soul. Even sculpting a large granite statue.. I know I have created a little on going performance that will comfort whom ever comes in contact with it..an ongoing song, freedom that lives for others..!
Being in a band is a wonderful thing if the band can stay together...It's like a good fire and some laughter and making enjoyment of the moment. That becomes home for the time being and where ever the equipment is set up next is the next little nest and fire and a spreading of that wonderful freedom we know as Artists. Somehow I feel that what is really happening is you are being lead back to where it all began..with creating the music but with a different perspective that you ever had..you are being bumped like one of those steel balls in a pinball machine with distination of making all the lights go on and winning the greatest bonus of all.. performing the song,knowing that that particualr moment is the greatest freedom of all. That intense feeling we get as we sing and note, as we make the hearts of men and woman, and children warm with the glow of our good fire and our laughter of life. The we have come home, we have arrived at our true mission and reason for being. To celebrate life and freedom of expression. Sharing what we have is the greatest gift of all. Seeing the face of someone when we give a gift that makes their life more comfortable. As we perform or create our Art or Music or just how we live our life becomes the truest experession of understanding that our soul is the home and our mission to make the lives of others comfortable is a most wonderful mission. So our freedom and freedom of expression becomes home and we are lead there again and again. Having a sense of purpose allows for enjoying the comfort of the fire and serenity of the soul and then once at peace I think we enjoy no matter where we are even more and can enjoy the laughter of life...the wonder of what is around us even more.
I have this divine sense speaking to me that says somehow going to China will be yet another beautiful journey but that some day before you feel your days are nearing an end you'll return to the original fire or the fire that was most enjoyable and you'll perhaps sit aand enjoy that moment knowing that you've had a most wonderful life. I am so grateful for having known you as well as I do and wish I knew you better. I have a feeling we could write some amazing songs but with reason and purpose to create that enjoyable fire, the nest and the laughter of life to show others that we have a warm glow and that this is a great place to be so come and join us and enjoy this special moment and special time where we are both alive together knowing that realizing the need to celebrate this very moment together is the most important thing we can do in this life we live. The celebration of the moment. That's home, that's what people live and work for and perform and write and make movies etc. a celebration of the moment. That's what a good fire is and that's what laughter is and that is home for the moment. We continually move and it's good to accept that the reason for it is to celebrate that next moment, the nest keeps changing, the song changes but the mission remains the same... Celebrate life and freedom of expression and carry that message, humbly to the next audience with hopes that we can offer a sense of comfort for the many restless souls seeking the answer or hoping for freedom.
I think we continually go back home but it's not home is a recreation of the comforts of what we know as home or think of as home. We are born, we rise up, and we return to dust. How we make the song and perform it means everything. Even if it's all we could do wiith all we had. We did the best we could and just knowing that the song goes on forever reminds us that we will contunally create that home, that warm fire in the cold dark night for many others for many years to come.
This has become my sense of purpose and reason for being. It may not be yours but I have great comfort no matter where I am. I always start sketching what is around me or I write about it because I need to recogonize that that special place is just as important as any because the forces of the Universe have lead me there and i need to remain open to understanding that is the fire and it needs to be enjoyed. Open Eye Universe....I need to be open to all things and then I have arrived home where ever I am.
I hope I join one of your new companies...There will be great enjoyment in that fire and perhaps we can then have some laughter and enjoy this celebration we know of as life!
You're a wonderful person Derek..I love being a part of your life experience.. you're on the right path! That's all that matters.
John David Hart/Buddhaboy
What is desire? And is it really desire if it dies? Is love real if it ends?
I had a friend who was first freed, then tortured to death by an unexpected, tiny trust fund that came out of the blue when she turned 30 - after years of financial struggle. It was just enough to pay rent and basic bills, but it meant that she could focus on her art full-time if she lived frugally. In short order, she felt incredible pressure on her art-making process - it had become her job, somehow, and all the hapless "screwing around" of her work process suddenly made her ashamed. But she muscled through that to discover a bigger problem: once she did not have to work with other people at jobs, she stopped being a part of regular people's lives, and she began to feel incredibly isolated. She had less to bring to her work
She has also, I should add, become infinitely more successful as an artist as a result. And feels much more ambivalent, now, about her work.
But when I look at you, I see somehow who got into the peculiar excitement of entrepreneurialism. What happened to your love of making music, I wonder? Which brings me back to where I started: in another era, you would probably have died or become too old to change once you'd succeeded at music - or maybe after you'd succeeded with CDBaby. Now, you get the sometimes uncomfortable discovery that you can feel and desire entirely different things at different stages of your life. Maybe you will never find something that will consume you as wholly as the things in your past - it does take a certain kind of youth to believe that whatever you are doing (or whoever you are in love with) will consume you forever. The scary/exciting truth is you can be many people over the many passages of your life.
The sad truth is that the lack of means prevents most of us from discovering that in a positive way: we are held back by circumstances/money/whatever and live our musical lives, for instance, at a slowed-down pace that makes it hard to travel through the arc of our relationship with music in a timely fashion. Maybe at 65 I'll be where you were when you focused all your efforts on CDBaby (if that's what you did, I get hazy on the history, forgive me)
I'm afraid I'm falling asleep, and cannot bring this to a coherent close. So, for what it is worth, hope it was worth something to you.
what do you do when you can go anywhere and have nowhere to be?
what do you do when you have everything and need nothing?
You go where you are needed and you give everything have to those who need it most.
Amen.
(p.s. Derek, I wish i had the means to truly ponder this question)
Africa....they need help
As they say - if you achieve your dreams within your lifetime - they weren't big enough (for you).
I'm in the position where I will be moving house with my girlfriend soon. We can live ANYWHERE! She is an artist and I am a choir and singing workshop leader. Trouble is, that's TOO MUCH freedom. It's really hard to decide where to go.
I once heard a definition of TRUE (and useful) freedom which resonates with me:
"Real freedom is when you are faced with just two choices. You then choose one of them and know WHY you have chosen"
Some people need real jobs to be motivated. I am NOT one of those people. A life without the worry of money? Can you say pretty please??? I would still be a hard worker but it would be TRUE freedom. Are there any rich ladies out there looking to pay my million dollar gigolo fee?? Beuler???
btw. Derek. stop rubbing it in.
I know! This is something I've considered writing about many times, because it's on my mind so much, but I never did because I felt it would be “rubbing it in”. Today I just decided to write it anyway, and hope it doesn't sound like “hey look at me”. -- Derek
i spent much time with these questions until I started vipassana meditation.
i have lived in the same place since (four years now) and the questions have become part of the past.
http://www.dhamma.org
thanks for sharing
best wishes with your journey from a beautiful little secret corner of sunny london, uk x
Hi Derek, Congratulations!
Ultimately, there is nowhere you have to go and nothing you must see.
Eventually, there is nothing you need to do.
Finally, the gateway to knowledge and the pathway to understanding is simply Love.
Great Derek! You seem to be living the life that the author of the "4-Hour Work Week" wrote about, but you've been doing it before the book came out!
Way to go!
The true freedom and journey is within
I've been living here at my beautiful place since 1984 and have my beautiful girlfriend/wife Karin since that time too ...
I travel to my concerts.
There is a lot of talk about Derek being free and that he SHOULD go help others. I think he has already helped enough people many times over - in many ways.
Derek has no duty, but to look after himself and pursue whatever he wants.
Damn I wish I had that problem
Personally I don't think you can have too much freedom. Having the time and means to do anything you want to is my ultimate dream. You can never create enough art, or stop improving yourself and the lives of others. There's always something to do, something to see, or someone to meet. And you can always turn your attention to helping those less fortunate than yourself.
Right now I only work 24 hours a week for someone else, and the rest of my time is mostly my own. I love it. Can't wait to make the other 24 hours mine too
Too much of anything has it's downfalls. Travel is nice but the true journey lies within. You know that Derek. Wherever you go, there you are. Your Walk on The Earth is just that...yours.
I can only say that the gratification gained through the (limited) successes I have had in business and my travels has been a good thing but it does not come close to the joy that fills my heart when I think about how my children have developed from helpless infants into the brilliant 12 and 10 year olds they are today.
The love for them that has grown inside me is something I can't fully put into words so there is a certain fulfillment that I gain from the sacrifices I make for them that I cannot quantify.
If I had lived my life without experiencing this I would have definately "missed" something.
Freedom is in your mind.
Find a mate. Have a child or two. Someone who cares about you when you grow old. Someone to love.
Humans are social animals. True happiness comes from the respect and love of other people.
"cuz everybody wants to be free... do ya"
When I was younger, I traveled all over the US, just to see what was there. Later, after "settling down," I became interested in birdwatching, and thought of all the birds I could have seen. Maybe another question you should ask yourself is, "What am I missing?"
Hey Derek,
I'm getting obsessed with your thoughts keep it up. This reminds me of someone who has won the lottery and couldn't handle it so there life got tossed out the window.
I admire your accomplishments and I travel
for business and there is nothing better
than being home with my wife & two children in the little town I call home
" Clarkston Michigan " in my own bed
with my wife.
Have fun, be happy there's nothing quite
as creative as a family.
Chuck White
To balance happiness and wisdom-he who thinks he is happy may be so, but he who thinks he is wise may be a fool.
No one can rid themselves of ambition-an unquenchable lust. Great minds are carried to a higher extreme.
Our mind creates ideas of our individual freedom, our physical body presents limitation of the mind. Our mind constantly figures out ways to increase our physical capabilities. But our bodies, gravity, laws of nature, the line of time set a structure we have no choice but to live within. So I think we're left with freedom within structure; there will always be another barrier to cross through, another place to visit, another person to connect with; if there's nothing left to do, there is nothing left. Explore, enjoy, experience, teach, learn, give, share, love.
Spending some time in China will certainly give you a different perspective on freedom...
I'm a saxophone player and have been living in Shanghai for four years. Look me up when you come here - I can give you some Mandarin pointers!
Congrats, Derek, you did it. And the fact that you are still asking these questions means that you didn't have to give up your humanity in the process!
Add value to people's lives you care about.
I love that cause the most
Derek: what do i do?
omoleye Gomez: Derek jr, it can be done anywhere on earth.
1st -- the company you left is not as good as when you were there IMO
2nd -- I don't want or need such unlimited freedom. I have the life I want, playing, teaching, living. As you say, it can be done anywhere. Why go away from where I am? And traveling is a big pain in the butt...
You answered already :
http://sivers.org/hatenot
and the don't fight it article.
Or have kids.
Great question, Derek! I always consider what Jesus says about life. Here's what He said at John 8:35-37: "I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can't come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through." "Sin" means missing the mark of God's will in your life. The real life is in Christ, the Creator of all things seen and unseen. Without Him, we can do nothing. Blessings!
Dear Derek:
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
Be!
Great stuff and I wish you all the continued best. I know you helped me out as a musician considerably with CDBaby. I wish you were still there. It's totally a piece of shit now. Looks nice. Operates like crap. Hopefully the people you employed there have moved on as well and are not to blame or the nonsense that is CDBaby today.
Take care. Keep writing - it's inspiring.
The secret to life is a good cup of coffee, glass of wine, kiss for no reason, a walk on the beach, a drive up interstate 1 in cali, a good book, a moment with a friend, telling my Dad I loved him before he died....free or not, its the little things....EVERY day.
No.
Yes.
Derek, you are living a life many people dream of but wouldn't have a clue how to handle themselves, personally I applaud you for your accomplishments & wish you all the love & happiness you so deserve no matter where in this amazing world
You are a quality person Derek!
Yeah I can definitely see myself "living the laptop life" with something like Git & my trusty Asus netbook.
Smile be happy and remain incognito because there will always be somebody willing to share your life and money while you have it. I lived much of the seventies in a one room bedsit and no ladies wanted to share that! Busk on street corners and find real people who love you for what you can do and how you can uplift their feelings with a few songs when they are feeling down. Write some songs and don't forget there's no trouble with freedom unless you don't have it so smile and be happy. Good to meet you at the Troubadour. Dennis Derby
Don't focus on the options, Derek. Focus on what you care about most.
Derek,
For the past five years, after a fantastic "run" of live performances, I've side-lined my music career and been in corporate America. The choice was easy, I'd missed the first two years of my daughter growing up while touring, didn't want to miss anymore.
She'll be 8 in just over a week. And I (we) now also have a 3 year old son. I've decided to resign from my 80 hour a week day job (so much for not missing anything!) next month and make the switch to a consultant. Basically, I'll be making 2-3 times the $ working 1/4 of the hours. Oh, this will also allow me the time to get BACK to music and finish the records that I've started and focus more on music. (There are SO many ways to "make it" in the music business than just having a hit record!)
The flip side- My brother, I haven't seen or heard from in 4 years. He showed up back then after disappearing for the previous 7 years w/his girlfriend, with no contact whatsoever. He had no great stories to tell, no money, aside from what I, or other family members "loaned him," and seemed to have great dreams of making the world a better place for those who would listen.
(crickets)
(My daughter recently came home from school one day and asked me what a "gypsy" was. After some thought, I told her, "Your uncle.")
Bottom line, cheers & kudos to you, I'm envious. My experiences have shown me that "freedom" for me is a balance. The key, I think, is to live (and work) for yourself, be there for others in your life, and put yourself in a position where you can take risks- just because you can.
i envy you and your life. all the best.
Dylan's phrase,"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?" says it all. You're trapped by who you are and the values you've developed over your lifetime. You developed CDbaby to help out friends and used your brainchild to help out a lot of strangers too; me being one of them. In my pagan religion 'Help' is the most sacred word and represents a covenant between people who help each other. From what I can see, you are a helper and freely give up your time and energy to help others. You will never be free of that because it's who you are.
I would just go with the flow and enjoy life
Freedom does not equal lack of purpose. If you truly seek out your purpose in life, then you will always have some sort of direction, and in your case, Derek, the freedom to pursue it. That purpose can be as humongous as solve world hunger or as small as make someone smile each day. So what do you do? You put to use what you know. If you don't know, you learn. You build relationships...
Freedom is only of value to those who know who they are, and what they're meant to do.
Without a sense of one's own meaning, and purpose, freedom becomes a personal jester, mocking you day and night.
Without a sense of one's meaning and purpose, one can never commit to anything, one, or place.
In fact, knowing what one wants is tied inextricably to that all important sense of meaning and purpose.
So, where does one get that precious spiritual commodity? From one's spiritual life, of course.
This is the same equation present in the life of everyone wishing to be realized as a self-sustaining artist. Do the mundane work, but don't forget what the work is for (to take your artistic expression places).
So, do the freedom thing (attain freedom), but don't forget what the freedom is for (to take your meaning and purpose places).
No there is not such a thing as too much Freedom.I would suggest everyone enjoy it for now.
The word is out that they are builing a barrier in the form of a highway in the United States right down the middle.
So people can not move around as much and cutting us in half like Mexico and before long no one will be able to cross or move back and forth freely like we do now.
You will have to have a passport and pay to go back and forth as well as have permission.
The goverment is doing this to keep us in our places.
So reader beware the Goverment is rounding us into sections to corral to control us all.
Perhaps you are still searching. My guess is you'll know when you find 'IT'.
Freedom is the best, as is giving of yourself. Do what you love to do! I do. I would like to accompany you on your travels.
freedom is a cheese which slices in so many different directions. to one born into destitution, and with little hope remaining of ever experiencing a reversal of fortune, freedom may just be "another word for nothin' left to lose" (chris christophersen). for a rich person, accustomed to a lifetime of privilege and excess, giving up their own assets and social status may be the key to enlightenment and true liberation that's been missing. after all, they have missed out (or avoided, depending upon your point of view) on much of what human existence is all about. kudos to derek for his philanthropy, vision, and pioneering spirit. Why not sample all the cheese you can? He might even come up with a tasty, sustainable formula which will feed every mouse on the planet. as for cdbaby, "you can lead an artist to the well, but you can't make a mirage audience drink".
Smoke some weed !
Hi Derek,
This sounds like a Fourth Grade writing assignment:
(Freedom - “What it means to me.”) Freedom is subjective, as with most concepts. Interpretation will depend on age, religion, culture, demographics... and so on. As an American we are “free to make choices.” That is what the country was founded on.
I made a choice to set my performance aspect of my career on hold to raise two children. You could say that I gave up my freedom. But I cultivated two new artists ... my son is a published comic book artist and my daughter sings opera.
Freedom is what YOU make it to be. My ‘freedom’ is being able to work and perform. I have goals for my life... “a bucket list” .. if you will. Those goals keep me focused and happy. Sorry Derek, I am totally lost without that - it’s an ADD thing.
‘Freedom’ boils down to money. If you can take guilt free time away from work (and family ) to spend it in Utopia - THAT is Freedom. Right now, my idea of ‘Freedom’ is simple -- endless, uninterrupted days, making love with my wonderful husband!
I offer you a challenge, Derek. When the day comes that you end up committing yourself to one person- regardless of whether she enjoys the nomad’s life or not - let us know if you have a different definition on Freedom. You will find that it is a state of mind.
By the way, I have a long time family friend that says he knows you. Robert Blackburn of Blackdog Recording Studio in Rochester, NY -- he says ‘hello.’
My best to you. I would LOVE to see your collection of souvenirs!!
Ann
from MAME - "Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!"
[I am in the process of uploading my web to Hostbaby.. hope to launch soon.]
Freedom is of your heart and mind. Are you truly living a free life or are you still a slave to an unmet need? Freedom to me is doing what I enjoy most and being able to wake up in the morning and feel that I have made a difference in not only my own life but the lives of others. Freedom is much deeper than getting on a plane and going somewhere. I have traveled extensivily in my live and I still feel the most free at home. One must look very deep inside to find true freedom. It is not of the physical realm but in your own mind.
In your pursuit and acquisition of absolute freedom, the pendulum of desire is swinging in the opposite direction. You long to commit to more responsibilities, (but only the ones that fit your fancy).
In a way, it sort of reminds me of a documentary I recently saw about being in jail for 30 days by the same guy who did "Super Size Me". With no freedom, he could only watch so much TV before he had to do something. With too much freedom to do nothing, it can also be paralyzing and motivating you to do something. The yin AND yang of life calls to those with open hearts.
I must add that freedom is much like happiness. Happiness is also a state of mind. One could be living in the worst conditions and if one makes a consious decision to be happy, that is what one will be -- happy. No person, place or thing can make one free or happy. It must come from within one's own self.
You must look deep inside, Is all the traveling you are doing freedom? Or are you in search of something you have not yet chosen to find in yourself?
Play music, that never stops.
I agree with the comments on CDBaby. I've tried for weeks to get a digital-only album going. They took the money and never responded. The website makeover is terrible, many great features lost and others working sporadically.
I really dont see responsibilities - irksome though they may be at times as a lack of freedom. To spend months or years at a time in a "strange" place would be a prison to me. words like "home"
and "Family" are cliche, but to me its the change from doing what is important to others to occasionally getting to do what I want that puts a value on the "Me" time. Thomas Paine stated it well: "What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly" I know that you worked really hard for your freedom, and it has really paid off - but eventually, at least for me, I would lose my "edge" if I was always free to do as I wish (this may, or may not be the case with you - I dont know how truly free you are). I think sometimes we need stuff to irritate us and to be reminded that life is wierd, we only have a limited amount of control of it. I cant imagine the dullness of having control - although I always wish I had more than I have....
The fact that I cannot devote my life to my music, - which I once THOUGHT is what I'd like more than anything, has made me a much better songwriter, and I am enjoying it now far more than I would have if I had all day to devote to it. It has become the frosting, rather than my bread of life.
Derek,I know you arent attached to alot of physical "stuff" so its not about the Benjamins, or the car or even an easy road.
Sometimes life becomes hollow, be you the slave or the master of your time. I have no right to give anyone counsel on this, I'm just kinda spewing what I think. This kind of falls long the lines of the question: What do you give a man who has everything he wants? I'm not that person, and I never will be, so I cant say, but I would ask you, what are your greatest fears or regrets. Your answer may lie somewhere in that direction.
By the way, I think you walked from CD baby at precisely the right time. What a terrifying time to be running a company with such instability and uncertainty around the globe.
Score another point for one of the smartest guys I know. A person I have no business giving any advice to. Your question will haunt me for some time because it is relevant to me, not because I have too much freedom (ha!), but I need to think about what to do with the freedom I have. Thanks for asking.
Derek,
I have always subscribed to D.H. Lawrence's belief that once you can do absolutely anything, nothing is worth doing. He described freedom as finding a place in the scheme of things, a role to play.
Wherever you go, there you are!
I'm banned from Canada. I wonder how many other countries I'm banned from. For things I did almost 20 years ago.
You've been lucky so far. I hope your luck holds out. Eventually, you will run into some kind of tyrant that will want to put an end to your "freedom."
Things are changing in the world. Globalists are locking down. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I am just horribly jealous.
I am where my thoughts are... which is probably why I like to stop thinking sometimes, and sleep!
P.S. Thanks for e-mailing me ;)
Do you think your success and money has diminished your drive?
Are you afraid that you’ve become too spoiled by not having to do anything?”
Or are you just tired… tired of freedom.
I’ve got a good idea… how about a “WIN A DATE WITH DEREK” contest ;)
You are in a unique position indeed!
I've always said, "When I have enough money to enjoy my pursuits of joy. I will begin to spend money on other peoples pursuits of joy." I'm far from being financially rich but I'm able now to put money towards other peoples well being and joy. It feels so empowering! Should I find myself in your position, I expect I would again donate my abundance of resources (time/money/spirit)to the cause of others so that they too may know the joy of abundace.
It seems to me your blog is your way of sharing your own abundance of knowledge, time, and spirit. Obvious to me, your ponderings and actions are helping so many artists. So your time is well spent.
Thank You!!!
I think you should audition for a role in a play. Since you are in NY what better a place to try your hand at acting. I imagine the experience of memorizing lines would be fun but more importantly being able to put on a new skin and think and act as the character would be priceless being forced to follow the direction of some random person who is the director would be as well
I hear you completely on "the right person would also want to live around the world too" because if you love your lifestyle and it's a big part of who you are & you give it up for someone else, you're bound to be unhappy or feel like something is missing. But then again, who knows? Maybe you'll just reach a point where you want to stay put somewhere just cuz it feels right to stay. But we can really only live now.
In regards to what to do, I've found that in my travels being of service - volunteering on projects you're passionate about & interested in is the most rewarding feeling. Getting to do what you love, learn something new, help other people & create positive change in the world is wonderful.
Enjoy your freedom. I find that responsibilities prevent me to ever have that kind of lifestyle but I do experience utter freedom when I am in the creative process.
Derek, I'm totally down with letting your passions for life dictate your lifestyle. You've achieved a rare state where you can pursue your life's ambition and at the same time life the life you choose to live. The world is your office, my office is my world.... same thing.
Peace..
Like the moth, in the end we are all consumed by our own guiding lights.
I seem to remember that the dude who created Victoria's Secret sold his creation for a bundle...blew it..then tried to do it all over again...ended up committing suicide.
So "freedom" didn't do very much Positive in that fellow's life..long-term.
I'm pretty close to what's considered "Retirement Age"...did "Make the Million"..on paper, at least..only to see half the value of my Fla. Real Estate disappear over the last 3 years & my debt load ratchet-up to the $200K short-term level. It's forced me to run my small biz 7 days a week now...but I tell ya what...I've never had more FUN at stayin' one inch ahead of the Bankers, at any time in my life..because I've got a Purpose. (&..I'm pretty good at what I do.)
Sometimes life's lots more meaningful when you HAVE to work...and you're part of the functional landscape of society. (I've USUALLY made enough we could travel..don't miss it ALL that much now that we temporarily can't..having spent the year in 'Nam..18 months in Germany after that..then 3 years in Belgium..then 35 years in FLA, with side trips back to Europe,& Central & South America, whenever a new Credit Card'd make its appearance.)
I think the one requirement of "freedom" would be to stay-busy-enough your mind doesn't atrophy. (I'll bet boredom kills more people than drugs do..annually.)
Congrats on learning multiple languages..Americans aren't famous for learning other tongues...but knowing Chinese'll open plenty of doors to New & Interesting Things & People. (You also learn that OTHER Cultures have a LOT going for them that WE never thought of..once you get inside their minds.)
Lemmie close with a Chorus of (Think it was) Kris Kristopherson's "Bobby McGee"...
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose/Nothing don't mean nothing, honey, if it ain't free/& feeling good was easy Lord, when he sang the blues/& feeling good was good enough for me/Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee"...
"Freedom" didn't keep Janis alive & kicking...tho she does deserve a Backpat for workin' her butt off.
Good Luck in your continuous quest/beware the Victoria's Secret Syndrome.
Big Guy-Hug,
Stan
HOME OF HEROES is a song about my adopted home town, Fayetteville NC
"if you're lookin' for the home of heroes, they live next door to you"
I thought you were going to start up a new music business, and I was hoping you would be interviewing soon. I am interested in starting up a radio reality show, where the judges would critique musicians. Are you interested? Let me know.
Freeom is probably just a fleeting moment in time
It sound's like you are living Tim Ferris' 4 Hour Work Week. I am a work-a-holic but have actually reached the point where I want to more of man of leisure. I think balance is the key. Doing work you enjoy grounds you and keeps things going so that you can take those mini vacations and explore your world.
Cheers Derek
Keith
Mr. Derek,
Great rumination. I was on the road 6 night a week for 14 years with no possessions except for my equipment and personals. I know of the freedom you speak of.
I ask myself often what freedom means to me. Here's what I came up with today.
In the simplicity of each moment you discover that you are free. There is a sense that all is well and it’s where love lives. You are not bounded or restricted by your limited mind. The mind cannot know the freedom you seek. The more you understand this, the more freedom you have. Freedom is a state of complete uncertainty and not knowing. When you control or seek certainty, you actually distance yourself from freedom. When you surrender to life just the way it is, your experience suddenly opens up to the wholeness of life. In this new awareness, you suffer less, and gain the freedom to make better choices.
I've also asked myself, "Am I free enough to be afraid?" and, "Am I free enough not to know."
Ultimately, I think it comes down to contribution. What can you do help others and what is it you want to become.
Many Blessings,
Ken LaDeroute
http://www.ClarityMind.com
After reading Alex's comments, it seems a right thing to do would be to use some of your freedom to help the new owners deal with the aftermath of a sold business-progeny run amok
Also, I have some other ideas for people of your intelligence and capabilities. But perhaps to help Alex (and others like him) from his problems would be a first priority. P.S. I have no idea who Alex is, so I am not writing as his friend. Alex has never heard of me, either. Thx
Sorry there's no way I can help the new owners. As with any change of management, they feel their ways are best, and don't want my input. Plus I've just completely moved on and would not be objective on solving that problem. -- Derek
Hi Derek-
Wondering if you ever considered walking away from the computer for a while? Maybe trekking in Nepal or sailing around the world just to have a different experience from city life? Just an idea.
I think you are supposed to keep making music, programming, helping people, and inspiring others. After reading other comments, it looks like they need your help at CD Baby.
Best regards, Marc Fendel
Andre Gide was once asked what he would ask for if all of his desires had been fulfilled. His answer was "more desire". More will come to you with a deep relationship with a good woman. All the best in your quest.
After Freedom, What Now?
I’ve experienced this in my life in that I had specific goals I knew I wanted to complete. For example, I always wanted to record a music album. I did that when I was 22. I didn’t feel like I needed to be wealthy in this life. I just wanted enough money to live on and that’s happened too. I always wanted that “The Princess Bride” type of romance. To find a true love. But never figured I would find it. Around the same time my album came out, I met and started dating my wife. Another goal accomplished. Another dream come true. I’m often reminded of a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” theme, as during our renaissance, I think the goals of many in America have become more about self-improvement than basic survival. More time is now given to art and literature to health and self-awareness and less energy spent on the worry of “where will our next meal come from?” The real challenge in life is to conquer your self. To make the real changes, the changes in your self. That will eventually change the world. “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that change.” ~Michael Jackson, Man In The Mirror. I wonder sometimes though, “Is this all there is?” I think many people envy my “freedom.” (That’s how I felt when I still desired all that I have accomplished now.) And I know the reason I have accomplished anything at all is because God granted it to me in the first place for putting Him first in my life. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” ~Matthew 6:33. And that poses the questions, “Is this all God wants for me? Is this all I’m destined to have? Or, if I want more, why am I not getting it? “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” ~Psalm 37:4. “Is God no longer number one in my life? What has my focus really been on lately?” What else lies around the next corner in my life? Maybe we find only what we need to live the very next part of our lives. Until we embark on a new challenge, chosen by us or not, I think we are to be content and enjoy that contentment while it lasts. And, if we have extra, give to those in our circle of influence who don’t even have enough. If not money, then teach. To help one another, in this way to “love” one another is what we are here for. “Remember, we’re all in this together. I’m pulling for ya.” ~Red Green.
its no accident that I have chosen to keep up with your blog.
Being in a space of choice and looking at life.
It's unsettling, so I choose to embrace it rather than fear it.
Mykel
But can the freedom to do anything anywhere somehow cause the loss of your identity? We now live in a 'global' world where west is east/east is west and distinctions are becoming blurred. Does it matter if we all listen to the same music, play the same computer games, wear the same clothes and speak the same language? Does our past/cultural heritage matter? Is that who we are?
'This is how it used to be
This is how it used to be
Freedom
This was meant for you and me
This was meant for you and me
Freedom
Now it is destroyed,sorrow
No identity, hollow
My ancestors bleeding
Restless graves are turned'
Track from Serundal's 'Freedom'
(Moonstone 2006)
Hahaha! I'm still laughing at what Mike said in this comment: http://sivers.org/freedom#comment-13295
"Sounds like it's time to have kids."
That will certainly open your eyes to a whole new world and sense of responsibility.
Most parents I know say: "Free time? What's that?"
I think that no matter how much you do or don't have, a person always needs to have a goal or two, whether it's to secure the next meal, check off another airport from the global list, or dream about that amazing cup of coffee in Brazil that you'd like to try again... Without something to look forward to, what would propel a person to continue living?
I've discovered the hard way that when I reach a goal that I think will equal happiness, the sense of completion only lasts as long as it takes to discover there's another event to wish for and work towards.
Financial and physical freedom, Derek, gives you the opportunity to have very different expectations than most folks - so what do you still look forward to?
"My friends in the prison
they ask of me,
how good how good does it feel to be free?
I answer them most mysteriously.
Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"- Bob Dylan
"One Good Deed Surpasses a Lifetime of Good Intentions"
Steve Adwell
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
YOU GO EVERYWHERE!
What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
YOU DO EVERYTHING!
When (if?) it comes time to stop, you'll know.
A great read Derek!
I don't think you can ever have enough freedom. I would rather be in a position where I do as I please, instead of doing things to meet deadlines or please others. I tend to be more creative and productive with a little freedom. Now, I know that's not the case for all. Some people abuse freedom unfortunately.
Freedom is a wonderful thing to have. Cherish it everyone!
Treat people well and never stop learning. The golden rule rules. Writing/recording feed my soul. Touring in Europe and soon Korea is my adventure. But coming home is important to me...I need roots in a homebase for sanity. I've had my CDs at CD Baby since 1998 (didn't know that was year one). As I signed other little distro deals over the past decade, I had to use other companies sometimes, but have always liked CD Baby. The current managers are not as good...and things seem slower...but I'm happy for your freedom Derek. "The pursuit of happiness"...the fun is all in the pursuit I think.
Derek, I say every fellow to his own thing and it makes me happy to know you are doing your own thing.
So am I. It's just he opposit of what you want. I'll be 84 years old the 29th of august and I can truthfully say I have done some of everything I ever wanted to do and had some of everything I wanted. I had a husband who understood me and make me happy. We lived together for 60 years. No children.
He never put any restrictions on me and I did the same for him. Neither of us has ever missed anything we really wanted to do. He died 9 years ago. I miss him but remember how wonderful it was to have him with me all those years.
The one thing I have always enjoyed
is writing music. It is my salvation now. I work at it each day in some form. I live alone and
I'm very happy ... I also love me.
I pray some day you will find what
you are looking for. You just may
find it sooner than you expect.
Good luck with whatever you do ...
Oh, I forgot you make your own luck.
Frances
Actually, i'm glad you ask above, Derek to give "your website", because i practically forgot that i think i have one. My daughter has been setting it up, I think.
But I'm not really as "laid back" as that might imply. But the initial thought in response to the question, "Is there such a thing as too much freedom?", is simply that, having been a mechanical design engineer, the worst scenario is to have inadequate "constraints" or design parameters set up prior to the design process. If someone asks you to design the interior of a room and they won't, or can't give you the dimensions of the room, then there is no solution possible.
But even more fundamentally, I don't think that "freedom is a thing", as implied by the way the original question is asked.
Personally, I have noticed that periods of intense creative activity occur for me following the "Fallow Time", associated with periods of a degree of depression. Not to recommend this by any means as a "technique", but there does seem to be a basic process of opposition at work.
This is why there can be no end to Work (in response to the question: "what if you never had to work again?").
In fact, having written that last sentence, I'm now thinking of having that very question printed at the top of the program (if there is one) at my funeral.
Because that will be the point when, for me, there is no more work to be done. It's a rather "dark thought", maybe, but hey, look around! There are a lot of baby boomers [i'm 1 of them] getting to be neo-geezers and older. It seems like there's an increasing frequency of new "oldest person in the world" reports in the news lately, so getting us Boomers ready for the question of what our work means (in case there are those who really haven't asked themselves the question), would appear to be an incredible opportunity for a growth industry...
The AMAZING DEREK...unbelievable ambition...you make me glad I'm free to be...right here where I am...me and my music...a 24trackdigitalstudio to record a newly written song whenever I get the inspiration...I am glad you're free to be where you are to share your tremendous imagination with others like me.
Freedom....I'd like to write about it but I have kids to feed and care for and still hope to squeeze in some music somewhere today. I like the flow of a day (life) with nothing scheduled, but I like the joy of caring for someone other than myself even more.
Derek, first let me salute you in living in the question and not settling for a status quo answer; the answer is found somewhere within the tension.
I'm finding that with freedom comes obligation of responsibility. The question then becomes: what is my responsibility (to myself, to those I love, to my world) in the light of founded freedom?
May you be graced to move beyond living in the question to finding residence within the tensions of the answer.
Shalom & Grace to you
Hello Derek,
You sound just like my grown kids--except they are not millionaires--they just save enough to travel--they won't marry, have kids, buy houses--won't take any of my stuff I try to give them--they just like to be free.
My oldest son is moving to Japan (he is a biogenetic engineer)
The younger son is an audio engineer and producer, my daughter is an artist --but used all her graduation money to plan another trip back to Europe.
There is a young man (the owner of Zappos shoes) who did something pretty much like you. He made too much money in the software business and he was young--so he researched what would make him, other people, and lots of employees happy. He came up with this online shoe store because he said in his research that most folks just loved shoes and liked to buy lots of nice ones at a good price. You can go to their website and read about it.
His employees like his jobs so much that he actually offers them a couple thousand dollars not to take the job after they complete their paid training time.
If more folks would approach life like you and he--I think lots of folks would have more jobs that they really enjoyed.
Thanks for all you do,
Mary Z. Cox
now this is the perfect contemplation...
in the movie, "humboldt county", one says to the other, "are we sitting idly?"
so, are we? should we? and how do we know...
range comes to mind... from one side to the other what are opposites and so on until we realize once again it goes to a circle with no real ending or beginning.. simply existing... according to whose schedule though, and what is right or wrong... sorta endless here... once read that the purpose of life is to be the best of each of our parents and leave the worst behind... simply evolving is all thats required... but once one truly looks within resisting outside threats long enough, one begins his journey with wide smiles... beware distractions ... they are circles to with no ending or beginning, simply decorations that mite weigh you down... but , remember , change your perspective and the situation changes too !!!! rc pirate
Hey Derek, You talk about going to China so I thought I would give you a few verses from one of their greatest sages.Lieh Tzu,200 bc, is the easiest to understand because he does like- you do , he just talks natural like to his students and peers. This is from his short verses and is called the Art of Traveling;"Traveling is wonderful if you see nothing and forget you are traveling but look into yourself, then you will enjoy what you see and do.Those who do this will not think about what they see or do and there will be no distingtion between the viewer and the seen. You experience everything with the totality of yourself, so that every blade of grass every mountain, every lake is alive and is part of you.When there is no division between you and what is other, this is the ultimate experience of travel."
When you go by air travel and carry your computer and phone to do work and communicate, you haven't really left home base.
When I traveled by sailboat hundreds of miles where no one could save me from nature and I had to survive while nature just rolled over me like I was nothing, I came out of my body and experience everything. When I arrive I was open and could feel everything and every one could feel this from me and we all joined and travel was enjoyed. Running from one place to another with everything as usual does not let the inside out.
Island Frank
I have to laugh that you moved around too much when young, moved as far away as you could, joined the circus, and must have moved around like crazy with that too. Hahaha - ahem.
With your pusuit of learning I guess you'll gain wisdom and when you have the wisdom you'll know what to do with your spare time. "Spare" time because although you aren't forced to do anything you are still pretty well occupied. You could do nothing technically,I mean, but you don't sound like a person whose self could let him do nothing.
Was it the 5th Dimension that sang 'I'm free?'? Very nice of you to try to teach us how to be free mentally and financially also.
I'll laugh more if, in a few years we're reading Derek's parenting blog, and he's missing his own deadlines and losing hair(haha), telling cute kiddie stories, dropping out of "site" entirely, and making his own mint sauce like Keith Richards....Naaa. Could that happen to a previously well organized man?
Yes, "too much freedom" is definitely a possibility. It depends on the person.
For example, think about all the kids who were great students in high school, yet fail out of college the first semester because they have too much freedom.
Or criminals who are model prisoners and get released, only to fall into bad habits within a few days of being outside.
So, in my opinion, the answer is yes. Not saying that we should lock up everybody, but there are definitely those who benefit from a solid structure in their lives.
To much of anything is not good, but it all boils down to how we use it or abuse it. The solution is,learning to build on having a purpose in life,not possessions, that is truly satisfaction and a sense of peace and stability.So, I'm very comfortable running QRTm,because I have identified my purpose and it's a cool-spirited feeling.
hi
in first, i 'm french, and please escuse me for my poor english.
i would like to ask a third question,
after
1- Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
2-What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
3-imagine the last day of your life, what is the most important thing of you life, what did you ever or never do? now try to do it. for me , after my childrens, family, the most important is the music, like a lot of people here, but the most important is simply to do it as good as possible.perhaps help people, perhaps doing beautiful children, perhaps doing fantastic music, perhaps simply be free, be yourself, but do it well !
PEACE
if you agree, have a listen to my music,words, indian and blues folk acoustic feeling.
www.myspace.com/camussongs
If it were me, I think I'd go spend some time in an ashram, meditating. But I think I'd also want to be able to do my early childhood music & movement classes during that time also. But maybe you've already done the ashram thing and been enlightened. What then?
Well, as others have said, you're using your freedom to help others. That's the most important thing.
Less secure people will keep trying to make more money, even when they don't need it, try to make a their business bigger and more powerful just for the sake of competing. I like your way much better.
Perhaps your path may now include more inner awareness and clarity. Perhaps you already have that. Perhaps your question is just hypothetical to raise awareness in the people who read your writing.
The answer is to be everywhere all at once.
When I had total freedom, I paid off my home mortgage and bought a horse. I owned my time and loved every minute. i stayed in one place by choice, with frequent trips. then my elderly aunt's health failed. it was time to give my freedom to her.
so if you are young and you have freedom i suggest you explore.
because if you love, or linger, you will probably find that you become rooted.
it's not necessarily a bad thing that age definitely diminishes choices. such is life.
Enjoy!
Less is more... http://www.beckerjim.com/song/14
As I approach 50, I get a little closer to the freedom you speak of every day. My kids are finally grown and on their own. I have a wonderful telecommuting job, so I can work from anywhere. If I truly wanted to, I could pick up the "essential" belongings I have and just go. Knowing that I have the option is freedom itself, even though I choose to stay put for now, for my family.
Kudos for having the strength and courage to let go of "things" and follow your whims.
Well...this is a great post. Here are my thoughts. From the above, it sounds like you have spent quite alot of time doing what you want and making yourself happy. Nothing wrong with that. I want to propose that you spend a few years on the flip side and living in service. Yes, you have helped so many people already - especially us musicians (Thank you), but maybe the next journey in your life can involve doing missions work, serving in desolate areas, maybe doing something that is alot less comfortable. Sometimes we get too comfortable. Good post.
In this life 'freedom' is only an expression of expanded limitations.
For example to remain living we're controled in many ways by nature itself. We can't live without oxygen, water, etc. The word freedom is just an expression of relief or temporary satisfaction.
Freedom always comes through sacrifice, so it's not really free.
Bad choices can destroy freedom.
The only true freedom will come through the spiritual kingdom of the next life.
How about this?
Quit thinking and end your problems...
And If you actually find out how to do it...
Let us all know ;)
That you consantly change from one obligation to another confirms what I realized long ago. " Freedom is having the ability to choose your own prison"
that so does not suck.
wow.
good for you freedom rider?
if you are bored
feel free to be of service.
that always rocks my bondage delusions
right out my mind.....
I have no clue what it would be like to have that much freedom.
Can it be too much of a good thing?
Only if you are terminally bored I would guess.
I wish you would start a music licensing company.
Life is a journey! You never "arrive" as a guitarist, pianist, singer, golfer, person, etc. If you have passion... you always want to get better.
The game on earth is a game of boundary lines and comparisons. Our minds "get stuck" in this game. In the universe, there are NO boundary lines and comparisons. If you understand this... then you begin to understand YOU are perfect and YOU are great. That is a fact. You may have let your interactions on earth upset you... but that does not change the truth.... YOU are great and YOU are perfect.
Steve Bruce
www.youtube.com/songsfromaheadband
All this discussion made me think of a bit the Buddha said, once: "Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown.
"None can live without toil and a craft that provides your needs is a blessing indeed. But if you toil without rest, fatigue and wearness will overtake you, and you will denied the joy that comes from labour's end."
Freedom cannot exist without a framework. Complete freedom is chaos. If everyone everywhere were permitted to exist on their own terms, the resulting society would offer no dependable set of expectations. Maybe the man on the bus feels free to shoot me today. Perhaps I feel free to lost child crying on the street corner.
True freedom cannot exist apart from law. Without the laws of nature - how would the ocean's boundaries be defined. Without the laws of physics - our planet would drift off into the darkness of space. Without the laws of God - a society has no code from which to establish ethics and morals.
Freedom to do as we please when we please - seems to point only to self. Mankind is at his or her best when we seek to love and serve others.
For me, I have tasted true freedom in Christ. It has given me a healthy appetite for more.
The LORD is my Shepherd.
Mary Catterton
I make art, think deep thoughts, and enjoy nature. I've given myself a lot of freedom. If I had more (financial), I'd travel more. I love bopping around somewhere that's not my home town. I make a lot more small talk when I'm on vacation. I've been to NYC once, and boy it was nice to be on vacation, versus living there with a job. I was in a better mood than most people on the street.
It's a pretty selfish description, but if you knew my art, my deep thoughts, you'd know how far my motivations go beyond my little old self. Derek's productive and social and generous so he's not missing out on anything. If I traveled more I'd probably make better art and think more deep thoughts.
What the last guy said made a lotta sense to me, except for the part about leaving this life for the unknown. I f I had as much personal freedom as you enjoy, and as much free time as you have to think about things, I'd make sure I knew where I'm headed at this life's conclusion. You and Bill Gates and some others have been set aside by your creator for a reason. You've been gifted not only with talent, vision, perseverence and brains but also with a certain amount of luck to make things work out so well for you, which a lot of other people don't have. I know you spend a lot of time thinking of ways to help other people, and that's a good thing.But at the end of the day, make sure you make it back to your creator, for yourself and also to say thank you face to face. Peace, man.
True freedom comes from the inside out. When we are no longer a victim to our belief systems and emotions, when we surrender our personal desires to the flow of life, we are free. It's a homecoming to our natural state, the true soul.
We can't know this by making mental decisions or doing a cost-benefit analysis. It's not about what we think we should do with our lives. Our job is to listen. When we are truly free, natural intelligence is available and clarity shows us the next step.
There are always more worlds to conquer. Start recording your music again!
Interesting post, Derek (as always). You know, once I've read Roger Waters' interview discussing "The Wall". There were a few factors that influenced most of the songs on the album, but do you know what the main factor was? Well, for Waters "the wall" was this impassable distance between a stadium-level band and its audience, the whole desperateness of inability to reach out and connect... You know, when I was reading it, I thought: I wish that one day I truly understand it. But in order to do it, I need to reach that stadium-level myself first
.
I have a few friends who, being successful musicians, constantly talk about how tired they are of touring... Well, I always say to them - I wish that one day I say the same thing, even though it's hard to imagine (I LOVE traveling and playing music, and doing it while constantly being on the move is my dream... No, it's my goal
SO, I wish that one day I truly feel the way you do. But trying to walk in your shoes... I think it's all about keeping on challenging yourself, not because you HAVE to but because you CHOOSE to. Life is short, and there are so many things to achieve
Best of luck!
Yes.
Derek, upon further reflection of your question, I have a few more thoughts for you. I have to say I'm a little annoyed by your question and your article. I find your public airing of it to be a bit rude and indulgent to be honest. I know there are many people just as successful as you and much more so who don't ponder this issue publicly. A little modesty would suit you better and I think you know exactly what I mean by that.
I find the most successful people, personally and materially tend to work just as hard or even harder when they "make it". If they have extra money and time, they usually dedicate themselves to charities and good causes to keep them busy. Freedom is mostly in the mind. Rich or poor, people choose to create their own prisons or be free and true freedom has nothing to do with money. It's your personal issue and one that I think you should struggle with a bit more privately. Other than that, I have no strong feelings on the matter.
I would do exactly what you're doing,
except maybe trying to find a way to not have such a huge carbon footprint in the process.
Research?
No.
Derek, I don't believe there's such a thing as too much freedom. But it certainly can come with a price if a person uses it to ward off lonliness. You've got a restless heart and a curious mind. You're a true adventurer, an explorer at heart, it seems. You won't settle down if you fall in love - you'll just pine for far away places after the initial buzz wears off! So, your Yoko will have to have a wanderer's heart too... and then when you're away exploring, with her, you will naturally work less and play more... and experience it a whole new way. I'm sure that day is coming for you.
Serina
("all colors except pink")
Vanity, vanity. all is vanity.
Love is all we need.
Check this out. Barry Schwartz gets real. And fast. TED rules.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html
And again, as in the post about desperation, perhaps master composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein had the most insight ever, about...everything.
"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."
And the mighty DEVO- "Freedom of Choice!"
http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Choice-Devo/dp/B000002KLC
Freedom is great, the more the better, as long as it's not freedom to hurt someone else. That's the only limit I'd put on it. For me, I'll always want a home base, and I love my possessions. Pretty attached to Texas, so that's home for me.
Here are some thoughts for what to do:
Try living as a woman in a Taliban tribe.
Try being a paraplegic.
Sell everything you own and give it all to the poor.
She said it well...
"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose". Janis Joplin
"Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers".
Janis Joplin
Maybe you are free when you realize the meaning in your life, or the meaning of life in general. Then, you are free from the mind's petty concerns and are not bound to perform frivolous actions. Maybe that's not easy ;).
One thing comes to mind that I read in the BIBLE "All is vanity and vexation of spirit". Some people question the validity of that scripture but it has always held true in my life
Hi Derek, would you like to play squash while you're in NYC? If so, drop me an email. (I have NO idea why that was my instinctive response to your post, but why question your gut?)
It is inspirational to read your thoughts, Derek. What I ponder is: to learn to want what you are to want.
It's great when you can follow your freedom without any fear , or probably with the fear but still follow without any regret and this is freedom.
There is a lot of great books and quotes about this. What is precious and highly respected is personal experience following it.
I am just grateful that I can read about your experience. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Derek,
You most certainly throw some good brain ticklers our way, and it's great, and appreciated that you can be candid with your life's experiences.Your background about moving around a lot growing up is similar to mine except for living in different countries. I Believe that if your happy doing what your doing that is what counts
Reff:http://bible.cc/philippians/4-11.htm
It's sad Derek that nobody missed you when you went away for a month. I like to get away too,when I can,'cause I write better alone, but I also love my family, and family and belonging is what life's really all about.
I think some people haven't worked as hard as they could, thus not achieving what they could have, simply because on a deeper level, they fear this freedom.
The thought is exhilarating; the beautiful eerie thing that somehow intrigues us.
I want it, and I know it will take work to get there. "Where to from here?" That is a question only you can answer Derek.
Here is another thought...
Find your calling. Maybe you are not using your great gifts correctly.
What is your true calling?
I think you might already know what your true calling is and you are afraid to accept it.
Pray for an answer. You are asking the wrong people. Ask God.
Hi, Derek,
The unanswered question is the one that takes me to the next stage. If I don't have the answer, it usually means my consciousness is about to be enlarged. Hang in there.
REal interesting blog. I think the questions at the bottom are signs of this new Digital Age that we are inhabiting and shaping everyday we wake up!
Derek,
I was fully ready to comment on your freedom until I saw the note from above regarding cdbaby and it's latest demise in customer support and "personal connection" that you always brought to the table in the ten years that I've dealt with you and cdbaby. I've experienced the same thing lately since their "redesign". It's prettier, but much less efficient and they take customer "service" completely out of the equation. Could you do us all a favor and write an article concerning these issues since they are apparently not interested in communicating with their clients? I know this has nothing to do with you anymore... If you started "cdderek", I'd be jumping ship in a heartbeat!
A toast to the man who's running to stand still.
e
You joined the circus...wow. You really are my hero. Did you swallow swords or eat fire?
Is there such a thing as too much freedom? My vote is no. However, I wonder if one would require more self discipline in order to get things done.
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
GO TO GOD!
What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
SEARCH FOR GOD!
SEA
Where do you go, when you can be anywhere, and don't have to be anywhere?
GO TO GOD!
What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
SEARCH FOR GOD!
its like the same dilemna my friends have when they retire or the empty nest syndrome parents go thru when the kids leave home. both recover well sooner or later.
some people have to go back to work or move by their kids but most just find other interests....
fyi I had some ideas/unique services I could offer for your muck work
Hi Derek,
My grandmother from the Scottish Highlands kept an old tract on her wall which read:
"I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
I can't improve on that; I would like to live up to it.
p.s. Sartre's trilogy 'The Roads to Freedom' explores your/our dilemma from a different and very interesting perspective.
Why don't you just come to Jefferson City, Missouri and play in my band! I could retire from my day job and we could Rock the World off the face of the Earth!
You know have some fun in our old age!
Just kidding, I know you are way past playing in bands, but it sounds like some Retirement fun to me! lol
www.bigranfeuers.com
www.myspace.com/bigranfeuers
Randyfeuers@aol.com
I think you start to be a "complete" person after you have and raise your children. There is no higher calling or more important job than being a Dad (or Mom). But the gift of a loving family is really in God's hands to give too. We choose whether to nurture those relationships or destroy them. Life's all about relationships, man! "And there is this car out west somewhere... and it runs on water, man! It runs on water!" ~Hyde, That 70's Show
......free FROM limitation or free WITHIN limitation - we're all limited by virtue of being human - except, perhaps, within the mind.....
freedom is a concept, like wealth, which is easy to say but not so easily defined.
I CAN make sense of the idea that a person becomes 'free' by voluntarily accepting the responsibilities which arise within the course of our lives and then works within those limitations ... a bit of a paradox that freedom is bound to limitation but there it is ...
thank God for humour .... I'M FREE!! ... OOPS ... NO I'M NOT ... OOPS ... YES I AM.... AH 'SOD IT' ....I'LL JUST BE
Not to repeat things already said, I am in total agreement with
#97 Carl McDaniel
#106 Jeffrey Titus
108 Brian and his sense of community
228 David Patterson.
My initial reaction was,"oh, get a life !" Some time ago in a personal email, I did suggest that you slow down...stop everything....
You are spinning around in all kinds of spirals. You don't know what you really want. You've received more advice on this page than six seasons of Dr.Phil !
That of course was a joke. We are not on his wave length. However,
the second we say, I have too much..." of anything, we are saying we feel bogged down and overloaded;situations that can even temporarily cut us off from our gut instinct and our sense of
what are we doing on the earth...for the earth.
Money has nothing to do with freedom in your case....(we aren't talking about starving bellies suddenly getting food and water to go on living.Money provides that.)
If you don't want something so bad that you can taste it and then go after it, you are just existing for the moment. You mentioned silent periods in an article recently. It's ok to go through this passage. There is a good reason for it.If I was you, and I'm not, I would go and live in a warm environment like BC or California
and live entirely dependent on getting your own drinking and washing water,making a fire to cook,yes even growing your own food etc with no electricity, no technology in your life for at least six months.Get in contact with the original gifts given to us:Fire, water, stones, trees, rocks, birds, animals, plants,sky,earth,stars,the moon, the sun and you will find the path to freedom. You don't have to do this alone. There are communities and folks doing this in many places ,especially out West.
Boy ! I do not like telling other people what to do....but I care about you like most on this page and that is my gut feeling for you, my friend.
You've done a hell of a lot in your life. sometimes doing is so subtle because we are not dashing all over the map. The doing is going on inside ourselves and the old body ,like in good theater technique, will naturally react to the movement of the heart and soul.
How much time do you take to read and absorb and meditate on all
these comments ? Do you ?
I'm glad you have your life and I have mine - afraid living at your pace would kill me!
Didn't you already answer your own question? Your post on 29th August asked "What do you hate not doing?"; the answer to that is also the answer to "What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?"
As for "Where do you go [...]", that might depend on what you decide to do ... but if not, then I'll offer you Nic's Universal Theory Of Decisions: "A decision is either easy or it doesn't matter."
I must say I enjoyed the quote from Janis Joplin( response #35) about"Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers" Way to go! Vernon Bisho.
Material wealth has nothing to do with freedom, just more options and possibly less freedom. Having too many options can be just as big a problem as too few.
I could go on and on, but holy shit, you gonna read all that?
When all of your needs are met, the temptation is to relax and enjoy your so-called freedom. But how do you define this freedom? Can freedom exist as a result of having lots of money? Can one, should one float through life on a cushion of money and call oneself free? What about those that don't have this choice? How must you appear to them? As you sip your drink on the terrace of a five star hotel overlooking a calm tropical sea, observing the other guests as they, also floating on money, go about their daily activities, don't you feel a sense of shame, of futility? Don't you have an urge to do something, to have an effect on the lives of others, to answer the call for help that resounds around the world? Shouldn't one consider the idea of money, the concept of being able to set yourself above the fray simply because you possess what by general agreement is recognized as a medium of exchange for goods and services? Aren't you like a dragon sitting on its gold? People rush by you in their lifelong race while you, chained to the tyranny of money, watch with a calm, disinterested eye, wondering what you'll have for dinner, whether the lighting in the restaurant isn't just a little to bright, the waiter a little too arrogant, the coffee a bit tepid, the murmur of conversations, the bursts of laughter, the coughing, the clink and rattle of silverware, the roar of the air conditioning, all just a little overdone and garish.
One must develop a proper contempt for wealth. One has only to observe the comfortably well off to develop it. Wealth can truly impoverish you spiritually, can corrupt you utterly if you don't treat it with the contempt it deserves. In doing so, you relegate it to its proper position, and begin to realize it's simply a medium of exchange for goods and services, and it's up to you not to grow dependent, fat and complacent in your monetary excess, to rather find a way to make this degrading substance work for the good of humanity and the earth this humanity depends upon for life itself. It is a difficult task, more difficult than making money, this attempt to make money do good in the world. No doubt you will experience failures as you cast about in your attempt to turn money away from evil, its true source, and make it stand for the good, and therein lies the battle that must be fought.
So I've given you one way to look at it, very aware that there are many others, such as pursuing a spiritual path. I've found that Rudolph Steiner's Anthroposophy has given me a lifelong challenge in pursuit of the mysteries that lie behind the phenomenal world and within the human spirit. I can think of nothing more important to pursue than spiritual enlightenment in this time of gross materialism and egotism. One can begin with 'love one another', a path that takes you out of yourself, develops empathy and a desire to understand the other person's view of the reality that surrounds us. 'There but for the grace of god go I', is a phrase that when considered rightly can be a path toward a true understanding and feeling of the other.
I've been waiting for you to express this idea of 'bought freedom', as I sensed it in your other posts. Hope my remarks help. In any case I'm sure you'll find your way.
Freedom is TRUTH!!!
Hello ..oh my God ..you are one of the best ..Derek... you know the truth about living life ...
like i said before ..money is not the raison why ..You are here ...
keep up the good work ...Freedom nore
liberty cant be a part of our existence full..
Re: What do you do, when you can do anything, and don't have to do anything?
It's very nice, I'm almost there, but my wife would have to go with me. So there's the problem of money, people need an income, unless your name is Hilton. By the time I get to where you are, I'll probably be too old. By the time you get to where I'm at, you'll probably be the same, so in the meantime I'm still plugging away at my songs...But the main thing is, let's have fun doing it, and I am, and I know you must be, because you wouldn't be doing what you're doing...
Keep up with your articles, people love them...
Guy
way to push buttons there, derek! your brilliance and blessings inspire, and i know that's what your intentions are.
to me, be with those i treasure most--my children & partner who are my "tie down" of choice...whereever we find ourselves.
& the DO is most definatly to contribute face to face & long distance however i may, surely including a greater helping of creation/music/art...what i live & breathe for.
thanks for everything
love
s
Hi again Derek, did you rceive my last reply? You havn't written back yet. Probably soaking up the good life. What about me? I am trying to give you a fairly good idea, maybe something to Think about... Look @ woodstock... it is history! Can't we try?
Good evening genious, I take that back, Won't You Tryyyyy.... Jefferson Airplane: Won't you trrr..yyyy.?
Any artist would love to have the free time you have to travel, learn and be creative. DRIVE is what separates people! Making good decisions and following through plus a high level of intellegence, which you obviously possess, has given you this freedom. What's left? In the positive realm, helping the planet/people and/or creating at a high vibration that allows us all to move forward with greater clarity, honesty, control of the ego and love.
Derek, Very enlightening. I'm trying to retire early to pursue music as a fulltime gig, but always had the need to work at a large corp where someone rans the #'s... Alex's note (ditto) and your comments must have done something, because after 3 weeks of waiting for info on my new album, I just got a note from cdbaby on it's progress.. hopefully things get better........
Best of luck to you, sir......dv
Your answer is simple------do whatever it is you do best if you still enjoy doing that thing. If not, do whatever the Hell makes you happy at that particular moment. Freedom is a blessed gift that can't be worried about too much. Freedom must be utilized to its personal potential. It should never be wasted on second guesses. If you truly enjoy something, it is NEVER a waste of time or money.
Hi Derek -
You know me well as well as I know you too. Many more of us admire you for what you achieved and for the decisions you have taken. For sure those ones have given you the freedom that you owe to yourself for many years of working as hard as everybody knows you did. The only limitation that I feel for your state of freedom you are talking about, is that when you announced us that you were selling your BIG CD Baby, your commitment with us, the artist / music community was leaving the company on better hands; truly Derek, I feel you failed. It's not a matter of creating a sense of guilt on what you offered to us, is the team you broke with all of us and it's a challenge for you to fix the hole in order to reach that state of freedom you are talking about. CD Baby was not only a record store; CD Baby together with Hostbaby and everything else around was that state of freedom you are saying, but you are the only one living in it, you left us alone fighting with the monster you left behind who is trying to become better, but without you I doubt it. The freedom is yours, the anxiety is ours.
Warmest regards.
Darian Stavans.
Oooo. First, you should listen to me. You know... I wrote the book on Awesome, so I obviously have some great things to say.
Sometimes it doesn't matter as much WHAT you are doing, just that you are DOING. Jumpin' into life with both feet. 'Cause ideally, yeah, we want freedom, but we like the challenges. We like different rules and obstacles. If you play a game, the game has rules which usually make it more difficult, but more FUN. Life's about growing and expanding, and without challenges, we sometimes have no reason to.
You can be happy doing anything. Just as you can be really miserable doing anything. It's about your mind set. The "choosing the right thing to do" thing is trial and error but mostly try-all. ;)
Now, what would I do...
I would travel to Australia, the Caribbean, Egypt, Italy, Rome, Ireland, Poland, France, England, India, Brazil, Iceland and Germany and Japan again, New Zealand, all around the United States, and maybe Antarctica too, just 'cause I could. I probably wouldn't say no to anywhere. Everywhere has sights to see and experiences to live and learn from.
What would I do? I would design and make whole new worlds. Places you could go and walk in that were everything you have ever dreamed. A room where all the objects are giant. A building straight out of Willy Wonka. Why not?
I'd also make large outdoor sculptures, optical art, crafts, and sweet funny music.
Mmmm. Thanks.
Anna of Awesome
Freedom with out mission is pointless. The mission can be just being. We can all do what you are doing by just BEING in the moment.
It doesn't take $.
We are finishing up our debut album, getting our blog online, starting to book Americana festivals around the world, going out busking on the corners,writing, singing, being happy, planning a good easy way for three talented friends to travel, and generally becoming nomads by choice.
I love to dream, and love even more putting dreams into action
Freedom to me is being at cause in my life...no matter what the circumstances
Ya know what, this is really just the same question as 'why am I here?'... Ultimately, no B/S - all of us CAN do whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want...so, if you look at it that way...it's always just the end of a finger pointing back in your face! HA! and it's your finger pointing to boot!hahahaa!!! heeheehoohoo!!! who is pointing? !
Will you write a followup with statistics on the comments like you did recently? Some say find God/religion, some say embrace service, some say stay home, some say have kids, some say go back to work at your old job -- there's even a conspiracy theorist. Interesting!
I became a better artist after having kids. As my mom said, the launch of motherhood is the height of your creative power. But I think one's motives for having kids should be carefully weighed. Having them to fill a void rather than having them because you innately feel the desire doesn't seem wise. On the other hand, if you meet the right woman you may find that desire suddenly blossoms, like that line in the Bryan Adams song, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?
"And when you can see your unborn children in her eyes
You know you really love a woman"
Stop asking so many questions and truly disappear, Derek. I don't mean this in a derogatory way but it truly sounds like the words of a bored college student who may try begging in India for a fresh look at life, knowing that his parents will bail him out if it gets too tough for him.
If your intention is to start another business with these blogs then, of course, ask away! Judging from this site there are plenty of us that will support you in that manner.
you better enjoy it.The only thing I can think of is family. About 19 years ago when I was surfing and scuba diving and playing in bands and had just gotten signed to a label,pretty on top of the world, anyway I meant someone who decided to have kids, I was kind of unsure it was all unexpected. I moaned and groaned I had to give up my freedom. But we gave it a try and without question it has been the greatest thrill of my life. So if I was to take a guess that would be something you should consider at some point.Enjoy freedom but don't be afraid to let it go and grow with a family there might be another kind of freedom that will surprise you.
Hello,
In the process of "becoming free" why didn't you delegate yourself also from the programming works? was to much fun or to much freedom?
Amit
The programming is my favorite part! Just like the songwriter of the band would not delegate the songwriting... -- Derek
once you'd ever been born in russia or any of ex-eastern block countries, you would not ask these questions, Derek!
but you touched the strings that always go boom in my heart!
just imagine - there are people who will never ever leave their houses not only because they can not afford, but also because their minds were beaten so hard so they can not dream about trying anything new, speaking with someone they do not understand, seeing places they never seen....
there is not too much freedom for them at all... we used to have the thing we called freedom and democracy in the 90's in Russia. but it turned into a huge selling of natural goods, "genocide of the russian nation" as they call the hunger and poverty of the age... then the sexual revolution and freedom came into our culture... and any type of the freedom we have had was too much! and everybody knows that... and - what is curious - none of them has anything to do with the type you talked us about. what you have had in your life is wonderful. You received a lot, now share it with those who'd never get a tiny bit of it )))) If you want, because you are free to do, but you don't have to )))
thanks for this topic
I am writing a song about freedom now, I will use something I got here, thanks
with great power comes great responsibility...
and yes, I think the ultimate would be finding a connection to something...someplace...someone to share that freedom with. I think that connections are ultimately the defining characteristic of a person's life. Not just people you KNOW or a checklist of places you have visited, but people and places you connect with...
Derek,
You are such a wonderful human being. I love your perspective on life. It's always fresh and inspiring.
I guess if I was asked the question you ask here I would say that each moment brings new inspiration. There's always something new to explore, learn, create. Perhaps someday on this planet, everyone will have that freedom. I'm sure you would agree because that's the kind of person you are.
Thanks so much!
you've reached what a lot of us dream, but then, the drama starts lacking. without obstacles there is no adventure. people in your situation seems to go the help others (what you're already doing, with these messages), after all, joy in life is all about human interaction. beyond that, it is void.
When I have a lot of freedom, I tend to waste it by doing nothing.
Sometimes I don't. Those are good times.
Seems like, if you give away all your stuff, you lose the freedom to use those things at your leisure...
Too much freedom - is there such a thing?
‘Man is unsuited to unlimited possibilities’. So says ‘Eastern’ thought and that’s right inasmuch as ‘unlimited’ generally extends out to ‘sod all gets done’. Why? Because there’s no focus. Well - that’s the sense I made out of that profundity.
‘Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.’ So says ‘Me and Bobby Magee’ and I’ve chewed over that line from the song for twenty or thirty years. I love it but it’s slippery as an eel when it comes to dissecting meaning from the line.
It’s true that if you have nothing left of value - and ‘value’ is the critical word - in your relationships with family first then friends and then with the material world - then you are ‘free’ in the sense that nothing further can be taken. This is ultimately bullshit - you can lose your health and mind AFTER losing everything you cherish ... and it’s the cherishing which provides the value and it’s that which leads some of us to happily accept our fate - which will not last forever - and get on with ‘being a decent human being’ within the limitations of our situation.
Yea - for the worms - hooray for the worms. What a fine job they do and they don’t get an award at any ceremony and I miss them in my garden. I know they’re not there in numbers because I’ve sieved the soil in my garden beds with my not so dainty fingers and thumbs for weeks ‘ looking for weeds’ and muttering darkly to myself. It could be because I’ve added tons of earth - which comes without worms - or maybe - like the bees they’re in sharp decline.
The point is that both worms and bees - and by extension - humans do what they must. With worms and bees - you’d have to acknowledge - they do what they do because it’s their nature. A worm does not have the freedom to be a bee. We, however, have some choices and therein lies ‘freedom’ - so called.
Freedom to ‘Be’ whatever your heart desires? This changes with the seasons or as your heart moves so is this ‘freedom’?
There is such a thing as ‘ too much freedom’. It links with power and the exercise of that power. Emperors and Despots have too much freedom precisely because they bear no consequence. Emperors and Dictators roam within families and the corporate world and this chain of thought ends with a glass of wine, a hiccup, burp and apology and more importantly with the idea that freedom becomes a meaningless concept unless the boundaries or limitations of an ethical framework inspire the individual life.
Freedom comes with chains.
Perhaps I could be a bee in another life...... free at last .... I always wanted to fly!......oh yea .... didn’t I want the freedom to fly as a human ...... maybe I should have been more focussed with my desires.
I'm not sure what I THINK about your question,
but I am crying about your question. It is a stirring one that cuts to the core of ambition and desire. Just asking such a question of myself helps me define my dreams and then make next steps. It also makes me aware of how stuck I feel when most often I could unstick my own self, but have trouble deciding
what and where.
Hi Derek. You my friend have found yourself in a most unique place in this world. Several years ago I had gotten inspiration from reading a book. Out of this inspiration came a song I had written called "Why Am I On Earth?". It is in fact a personal revelation to me of asking all the why questions, and where do we go from here. My prayer for you simply is this, continue asking those questions. Your continued quest for knowledge is by far one of the most powerful gifts that God has given you. To me is shows that even though you have accomplished so much in your life, you have never stopped moving forward and asking for greater wisdom. "Seek and you shall find". I have found that the greatest thing in this life is walking with Christ. I have searched for truth, it has changed my life. It has given me a purpose beyond whatever I could conjure up myself. I pray that you too will be encouraged in your life journey. For me to live is Christ...
There is a passage in the bible that has changed my life personally, it is found in phil. 2 verses 1-4 it simply says if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,if any fellowship with the spirit, if any comfort from his love, then make my joy complete. Each of you should look not only to the interest of yourselves but also the interest of others. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better then yourselves. This has truly transformed my life. It gives me a purpose to want to reach out to others, to love others, to want to help and encourage others into finding that purpose that God has put them on earth.
God bless you Derek!
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."
I think freedom is just a perception. Think of Howard Hughes, whose intellectual and financial successes likely dwarfed anything most of us will ever do. Hughes was a prisoner of his own compulsions and ended his life in what can only be described as a gilded jail cell where his meals were served to him under a door. Upon reflection, a Congolese refugee/rape-survivor working as a maid in a Holiday Inn is more free, just as long as she can laugh and dream.
Okay, enough deep thoughts!!
My aunt gave me a cool book called the Spirit of the Chinese Character that breaks down the symbols used in Chinese words. Anyone studying Chinese should check it out. http://tinyurl.com/kmtfct
I was born under a wondering star
However great however small
Just a wondering wondering star
I am sure it's not my ego why i'm not going back
Or maybe it's because of the feeling I get while movinng along the track
I was born under wondering star
A wondering wondering star
I seen the life stlye in many countries ever since being a tot
Now it's time to learn to use a tool they call a wok
The far east will give me a karma no other place has got
I was born under a wondering star
A wondering wondering star
I know myself the way your best to be to see realities
Giving and receiving the recipes of life proven remedies
I was born under wondering star
A wondering wondering star
My responsiblies won't hold me as I have learn cut the slack
My accountant is updated regularly with issues of IRS attacks
So I can be any and every where that I choose to be on the map
I was born under a wondering star
A wondering wondering star
Wheels are made for turning on a hard driven track
Boots have always been walking and just don't want to stop
I was born under a wondering star
A wondering wondering star
Without a shed of tear I even brave wolfs and coyotes pack
Packed my toubles in a little bag I travel lightly as freedom is a thing I have got
I was born under a wondering star
A wondering wondering star
To find the love of my life the road is a long winding track
She will be happy along my side for many miles in nature laps
So we'll never lose hope for the life of freedom as the children will be gathered around in the harvest of such a dreamland kingdom ...
I was born under a wondering star
a wondering wondering star...
Adapted from the great cowboy movie "Paint your wagon" starring "Lee Marvin" big up for all freedom fighters...
Never be afraid to complete your plight to freedom under the moon star or sun born inna creation without nought sure as life it self will only inherit wisdom knowledge overstanding as the monies vanities just don't do it the way freedom street does it as you can get access to your dreams so go for your dreams and be free by your billabong and hut that takes guts to cut loose from old mother goose and the shoe string budget noose...
Tho the further you look is the lesser you see if you don't embodie yourself with purpose of life road giving is a way as getting you may without counting every little things that you give...
I don't feel like bro Derek has got much regets that I really like as regrets mean your still linger for the comforts of daily life like the Children Of Israel Who Murmee in their tents in the winderness of Judah having being fed food of angels they desired cucumber and lettice and a pint of something nuff said be yourself if nothing else...
P
There is no limit to how much life can express itself through us. Our freedom to live life fully is limited by uncertainty of purpose, fear of the unknown, an inability to love unconditionally and a mentality of lack and limitation acquired through social conditioning, not just financial dependence. We can declare our freedom from these inhibitors individually and collectively and let the healing begin.... Choose love, life and freedom!
It's irrelevant. You've had the freedom the entire time.
Many of us like to think that we have to go to school, have to get a job, have to get married, have to have kids. And THEN we can do what we want.
The reality is that we have the choice to do what we love to do from the outset if we are willing to (de)prioritize what we have been conditioned to think is necessary.
Your success has allowed you to reflect on this now, but the reality is that you've had the freedom and have been doing what you love form the outset - music and programming.
My suspicion is that you'll continue to do just that regardless of where you live or who you marry. Which is the way it should be.
to much freedom? never! You do what you love everyday. If there are no more or alot less distractions then you just have more time to do more of what you love. stay in the zone..
It's almost like a case of winning the lottery...they say most people who do, quit their jobs, spend a lot of money on things, and then go bankrupt within a short time of winning. However, most of those people hated their jobs...the most successful lottery winners continued working. It seems that is key to any amount of success...not finding the value of things, but in the things we do. Who needs millions (or billions) if you've got that? MEANINGFUL work could be the ultimate freedom. I don't think there could ever be too much of that.
Haha, sounds like someones running out of ideas =P, Jk jk :D!
I think really at that point all you can do is further yourself as a person, and in knowledge while trying to help advance the world around you, and those you come across.
I don't think so.
I think is not the freedom what makes you void, a woman is important in the life of every man. What do you want in a woman? take a paper an write it down. Pretty face?, body on shape?, educated? someone that loves traveling?
Whatever, make your own list. Now look at your list and make a list of places when you will likely find this woman. Now take your freedom and go to this places NOW(mandarin lessons can wait), and get your woman.
COngratulations on your accomplishments. Freedom with money....thats the best !! Dont worry about it just enjoy your life Derek.
Peace and Freedom for all !!!
I myself am renting an apartment in Bangkok for a few months. I plan to do some sight seeing around Thailand of course, but mostly I'm just looking forward to living a normal life in a city that's become a second home.
I am not so concerned about taking time away from being productive or purposeful, because much of the productive work I have been doing seems so irrelevant anyway. I was getting paid, but still wasting my time.
I know I will be meeting friends who will inspire me, I know my spirit will grow in that environment, I'll think and reflect and I don't consider these things to be unproductive, though our society today seems to think they are.
I also know my mind is restless and I am sure I will get a lot of writing done. Writing that I have not had time nor energy for because so much mental focus was on the paying project. And I have plans to meet with people not only to make plans for future projects, but also to expand my own artistic realm. I am very excited at a recent invitation to observe a Thai classical orchestra rehearse for an upcoming concert.
I would, given the slack, take the entire year off to explore Southeast Asia, Australia, China and Japan. And then I would probably being making plans for India and The Himalayas. But at this time I am looking only for that adrenaline shot of freedom that will launch me into the next stage. I still have one strong tether that I am actually looking forward to returning to, so in truth my freedom is leashed, but it might be a good thing for me now.
sometimes when a person invents a great car and starts drivin it.. and tehn jumps out and lets a guy in the backseat take the wheel the trip goes somewhere else for the perosn who is in the backseat as a passenger has another vision and destination in mind. where as teh inventor was making a vehicel for peope to ride in possibly the backseat driver was thinking of a city bus. althoughit may be constarining and against teh modern rules of business its always best when the person whose vision saw the road kept driving the car he made
and with whats coming in the future in reagards to OUR future in the USA it may be a good thing to hightail it to another country drug cartels are hitting universities in texas withthe overshots of fire fights near brownsville the US army has been deployed in a very quiet way but ihave seen the photos of the people KIA over the last week with so many mexicans here in america and the MS13 vowing to cleanse south central ca.. we have yet to see the worst. so do what you can do make every day count before they start talkin about martial law and that firefigth comes across our nonprotected border some of my contacts say vietnam was an easier confclict than the one in mexico which you never hear about on any news channel and..you won't so cherish your freedom..and dont wait for the future or.,until it whatever IT is is perfect.
the cartel makes some countires look underfunded when it comes to the weapons and arms they have.
Everyone's freedom is different and comes in many shapes and forms. I find I have the most freedom when I am behind my guitar pouring my heart and soul into the mic. I feel the most free and it's a huge rush for me.
Ok Derek,
We get it. Money is freedom. If I had more money, I could accomplish great things. In fact if you need a project, you can help send my 2 kids to college because making enough money to keep them in school is draining my money, my time, my creativity, my songwriting ability. So send me a check. As large as you will. Then maybe I can see London. You have my email address. I'll be glad to send you the mailing address. $30,000 would be a good start. Then I would be up to broke. $3,000,000 would be better. Of course it is up to you. You have freedom. I am a slave to money.
Derek,
here is my points on 'freedom':
1. you talking about 'freedom' you reached is at financial level, and material, physical levels. difinetely you have a 'freedom' mind that guided you to this stage, that you not only earned from this life time. for you were a monk at least one life time in your past...
2.can you travel around world anywhere instantly, without air plane tickets, withought physical limits, withought your laptop and mobile, and you know everything if you curious? and you can program the things if you want to involve and help? -- that's direction you should search further and going to look...try to travel expanding in the dimension of vertical rather than just the horizonal on the surface of earth, off the earth for a while, flee away for a while withoug drag / achohole...
3. mysterious 'freedom" also need to earn for many years and life times..you need special permission to enter some wonderful worlds, mainly is by your heartly passion at a very quiet, empty corner...
4. back to the topic "music". music is a world you can not see but everyone can understand it's languages from baby to very elderly, regardless their education, but depending on their heart, the more soften innocent heart, the more easy to understand. music has many levels.
unforturately, most currently popular music not at real freedom 'levels", some like the rat-clamp to limited human brain freely thinking...it can be related to the lifestyle when you create the music, to the methods you practice the music, to the traditional difination on music categories...
5. that's why when you at certain high level, you are not interested in listening to the 'music'. compared to the visual arts, musicians in commercial level are much far behind at moment. for you can not create the new level , if you just being the 'musician', following the traditional ways...
6. to discuss the development of music levels, need to out of the music industries sometimes...
7. that's one of the reasons why we still need to create some new music even there are already have countless beautiful music in the world...
8. if really have nothing to tie you, you've successed to ready into another higher level of life form, might be not nesscery on the earth...
9. i have made a music "into the orbit with long hair..' i didn't finished. for i don't need to rush to finish...for i am not so great, i labeled it as "manjia music" (however i didn't copy anyone's work)...
I have two kids. If you have children, you need to always think of what THEY NEED before what YOU WANT. This doesn't mean you can't have freedom, but it does make you re-examine what true freedom is.
Could I live in India for a year? Possibly, but I'd have to consider what it would do to those who need me. Could I quit my day job? Maybe. But what would that do for my kids' health insurance?
Being a responsible parent limits what it is possible for me to do, or where I can live (I used to live it Boston, and I loved it, but there's NO WAY I'd raise kids there). But I'm still as free as anyone else. More than most, really.
Robina Courtin is a Buddhist nun who works with prisoners serving life sentences. One thing she often tells them is (I'm paraphrasing) "the cell you're in is nothing compared to the prison created by your own mind." I think you can be bound by circumstances and still have absolute freedom. Part of it is to not become attached to your limitations.
You can be stuck anywhere with any crappy job, but if your mind is unfettered by attachment, you're free.
Derek -
Why don't you go and re buy again CD Baby. Every deal is flexible. I'm sure you can get a great offer, a bargain, you could get out of it a great deal and of course a great business and take the leadership of what seems to be the greatest thing you have ever done. They are losing sales and money per second, I can assure you that; they don't know how to operate that business and they would gladly offer you the company again in less than a minute and in less than a third part of what you sold it to them.
As well you would do to all of us a great favor!
Don't fight for freedom, it doesn't exist, fight for work!
Ingrid.
Derek;
Sounds like a blast. Wish I was along for the ride. But,not all people can handle too much freedom, by this I mean, in a constructive & productive way, where a end product is the result -
like a song or a story or something to benefit the well being. You promote your well being by writing and do it very well.
Remember
"It's not about the destination, it never is,it's the journey,the adventure,the mystery of the unknown ,the winding roads,the wine, the people you meet along the way." by Pellerano in the story "The Bookmarker"
That is why you, Derek, are still living the question. Power to you, my friend.
But, once a realtionship occurs, some of the free as a bird concept will be limited. Unless, you both can fly. I am sure you are aware of this.
I bet, if a trip to Mars was possible,you would go. We all should taste life. So, many are trapped by working to live or living to work. Tragic.
I guess you can see, I'm still with CDbaby, by my website.
How long???? Reason for www.youtube.com/vinnypage as a backup.
CDbaby is hurting, I do think they are trying,but,the Captain has left,I hope in time they'll probally steer in the right direction. Maybe, you can be an consultant. Companies do it all the time, at least,till they get on their feet.
Well,take care on your travels, my friend, I've had some bad wine once, ricewine in Thailand. Gut Rot. Sick for a few days.
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but you struck a chord with me on your mobility and travels.
Peace
Vic Pellerano
Where to go, what to do? I know what I'm supposed to say:
* I'd write more songs
* I'd practice all day
* I'd devote more time to activism/charity/fundraising
* I'd learn a new language and hang out in a foreign country
The reality? If I suddenly found myself with no responsibilities and the means to do whatever I wanted, I think I'd choose to shut down for a while. I'd venture out to a bookstore, then hole up in my bedroom reading the stack of books I acquired. I'd surf the web. I'd see more movies. I'd listen to music all damn day.
Eventually it would get boring, but not for a long, long time. After a year or two or three of this, I'd probably volunteer myself for some worthy cause, maybe donate some skills. Then, with a bit more structure in my life, I'd continue to enjoy the freedom to slack off.
I hope I'd end up doing the things on my "should do" list because I wanted to. Right now, though, the best thing I can think of to do get some rest.
Everyone interested in this question should read The Fundamentals of Thought by L.Ron Hubbard. It takes up this question directly in the chapter "The Reason Why".
In fact, many times your posts deal with topics that are covered in that book, and it DOES contain the answers or the means to find them out for yourself.
This universe and the beings in it follow certain axioms, but people don't know what they are. These are the Axioms of Scientology.
P.S. If you have an aversion to Scientology because of some some nonsense you've seen in the media, may I remind you of two things:
1. Books don't bite
2. Don't diss something until you understand it.
Check it out for yourself
without a vision, the people perish.
Maybe if I were rich myself, I'd be further along within the music industry, but since most current music listeners of today have no clue as to what good music and lyrics are all about, us more experienced older unsigned musicians will continue to be ignored due to the uneducated music listeners of this current generation are clueless to real life.
I was a personal friend of John Lennon, we spoke alot between 1976 and 1980, he helped me see what music was all about, but since these silver spoon sucking music listeners of this current uneduacated generation have no clue as to what good lyrics and music is all about, none of us unsigned older musicians will get anywhere with this stupid younger uneducated generation, due to they have no idead what real life is all about.
I fought for 5 years during the 1970s in combat with the US Army Airborne Rangers, I've experienced what it's like to kill, I've experienced emotions most current music listeners haven't, they have no idea what life is all about.
These silver spoon suckers will never understand, nor will they ever do anything or go anywhere in life that will amount to anything.
Sorry if what I said pisses any of you off, live with it. Experience life and then write your songs like I have without using Rap & Hip Hop to make others think you've had a hard life. Many of you have no idea what a hard life is.
It's all about blood sweat and tears. Not old money. Old money may get you famous, but you'll never know what real life is all about without actually living it.
I suppose you could choose to be stationary like the earth and have the galaxy move around you or be the galaxy,and move through it.Again,,,its ones own personal journey,,,,,either way,,,,everything is moving,,,,,,,theres no escape from change,,,,,,,,,,k.sokol
Man you are living the dream... well my dream anyway. But I would have kept the studio - so I could have the freedom to record. : )
Part of the life of a seeker is to wonder with excitement what is coming next while it's already on the way.
Yes, what will be next for Derek: a relationship, a dependent (child, animal,etc), or some other kind of creation or adventure?
Not even Derek knows! But he will soon, and then he will tell us, and we will all get to enjoy a bit of it with him.
Thanks, Derek!
I don't believe that one can ever have too much freedome. Freedome is a luxery to most people. As long as you have a focus in life, you should be able to pursue your dreams. In many cases freedome allows you to continue to pursue your dreams to a higher degree. Freedome has its balance too. When you take your freedome for granted the scales will shift and you will begin to be lost in a sea of wonder. Losing your focus and your dreams fade out of site until you respect the freedome you have.
Derek, Loved your respones to #6& #13.
I love hearing about how you are dealing with the total freedom lifestyle.
Don't we all day dream about what that would be like?
I know I do.
Interesting that when you think out loud,(what would you do if you where in my position?...)Some responses are what other people want you to do.
So far CD Baby still works fine for me by the way.
Continued success in your journey, and speaking from experience, Brazil rocks!
Ultimately, it really doesn't matter where you live. It's all about love, friends, family, and fellow man no matter where you are. Thanks for giving us a glimpse Derek. I wish I could feel your freedom even though I know some of my best results are the product of necessity and being forced to put out. You operate in a world without the safety net of necessity.
Fantastic Derek, really enjoyed reading that!
The amazing thing about computers is of course they are the same whatever the location...personaly I live for venues, I love the buzz of getting all theequipment set up & the adrenalin of playing that first high power note & the encredinle volume that you cannot experience anywhere else from from music...
thank you for your enquiry,
Roy Stone sales
Too much freedom?
If you find more goals, purposes, you will have some more barriers to deal with and you will have even more freedom...
Keeping these three things going on makes life a game. If one's purposes are great, it's worth and fun to play it.
Hi again, Derek,
Irene, a close friend I was in a duo with in the 80s wrote in April to suggest we sang together again.
She called back in June to say she'd just been diagnosed with two months to live.
After this devastating news, Irene chose to marry her long-term partner, but was too ill to go through with it.
Irene did NOT choose to die last week, but it happened anyway. Some of us sang at her wake. She leaves a heartbroken partner and a teenage son, not what she would have chosen for them.
'Freedom', as in being able to make and act upon choices about what to do next, can be perilously short-lived. Irene's freedom was stolen from her in the time it took a doctor to deliver bad news; no surgeon, lifestyle coach, priest or business guru could help her to get it back.
Enjoy your idea of freedom while you can still make choices, but don't bank on it being there tomorrow. You may have heard the saying: "Shit, or get off the pot."
Freedom doesn't exist. If you are handed life on a silver tray by your family, you owe them. If you work for a living, they take all your time. If you get a successful hit record, the record companies will take over your decision. We are all just slaves and our music is our only freedom.........
Even if you relocate 1000 times, there are still processes of relocation to fulfil. Even if other people have to do the arrangements for you, you still have to move your body to your new paradise passing through the rigorous border controls, checking in and checking out of hotels and flights. "Too much freedom" can be only when you stop thinking and planning, but you can never stop thinking so you can never be too free.Life is for living and as long as you are living are busy.
Derek, your a slave to your computer,(only joking),the blogs are great fun, it was great to meet you here in birmingham uk and shake your hand, i guess the best freedom is having the money to travel and see the world.
Take a look at the Kennedys. Their money gave them the freedom to give so much to others. You can't be "too free." It's the choices you make on how to use that freedom that make the difference.
Yeah, ditto about CDBaby. It's no longer working for me either. Can you lead me to another company, Derek?
Maybe not everyone strives towards this freedom you have, but it is something that I aspire to. I always love to hear about the good guys accomplishing this kind of thing, so I am very happy for you! Because you are a thinker and have a good-nature personality, I am sure you will only make a good difference with what you decide to do with your free time (you already are doing this with your blogging). Anyway, you are an inspiration to many of us, so you have been given this opportunity to move on to greater things. My thoughts....
Very few men were able to quantify freedom; experiencing the fullness of existing in the present at every location is what separate those who travel a lot from those who journey better.
It looks like you made this earth your home, so the right person should feel the same about home.
Invite us to visit you, we'll be able to appreciate your voyage once we choose to leave our sedentary comfort and improve our language skills.
I have always wondered how those bedridden or incarcerated ones gain their wisdom once they've lost their freedom.
Many thanks to technology for improving our lives, or at least our sense of confidence. The final journey will be to overcome the thirst of money, or the fear of not having too much of it.
FREEDOM - A mirage of the mind.
Derek, This post has resonated with me since the day you wrote it. Thank you for sharing. I am in a period of my life where I have created lots of freedom. I have lots of hobbies, projects, pursuits, and goals, but having the freedom often makes the question of what is the point we do anything for. What keeps us motivated, without the demands of a boss or a paycheck ? More Freedom? Better Freedom? Love? More Love? To Inspire? To Be Inspired? To Educate? To be educated? My questions to your questions
I am absolutely, exactly, unquestionably right at this juncture. It's a very real question. Myself, I'm pushing the music thing as much as I possibly can (got another album out, working on the next), and it's been quite unreal. Haven't had to answer to anybody/anything since January. The song I wrote that centers on this question is "The Cobbler's Blues," and in the live show we get a huge singalong of people chanting Bruce Mau's "Now that we can do anything, what do we do?" Quite surreal.
I guess you can be a slave to freedom in a way. I have found that I'm more productive now that I'm married and have a son. It's forced me to manage my time better. This quandary reminds me a little of Voltaire's "Candide". The hero travels to the ends of the world, suffers the worst torments, only to discover true happiness tending a small garden back home. Good luck in your travels, but never be afraid to grow roots!
Everyone desires purpose. I believe that True freedom is having the time to make passions your purpose. Sometimes our old programming makes us feel useless when we're not caught up in the day to day rat race.
I say, Follow the passion. You've done that before, now you're finding new passions to explore and create. There is never too much freedom, and there are always new things to create that bring joy and fulfillment to the spirit. The void can be a scary place, but also the birthplace for the highest growth. Personally, the best freedom to me is being free of what society dictates as successful, and not allowing judgment from myself or others to keep me from connecting to music, and connecting to others.
PS- thanks for all you've contributed to music and to musicians. You've done so many amazing things, and I have a feeling you're just getting started...
Check out what Igor Stravinsky had to say about freedom. I hope that I remember it correctly but I believe he wrote that he needed a structure and limitations in order to find freedom in composition. Complete freedom to him meant chaos. It might be something to consider since it came from one of the 20th centuries most fertile and creative musical minds.
All the best,
Robert
Derek.... get back to making music if that's still your passion.
...And thank you for your willingness to share and be vulnerable and totally real. It's easy for some to be filled with envy and self-righteousness, but those folks didn't put their butts on the line to "live out their dreams" as you have. To the rest of us, you're an inspiration. We "get you" and we thank you for sharing and we enjoy pondering these thoughts.
Serina
Enjoy your freedom, Derek, you've certainly earned it with your service to others creating CD Baby.
Never forget, though, that most people reading this don't have the options for freedom that you and I do, or even much time to ponder what it would be like.
Either say "hell yeah!" or no? That's easy for you or me to say, a bit harder for people who are working for wages and struggling to have the basics.
Not dissing you at all, I enjoy reading your blogs. Just stay grounded, bro. ;)
Terry
Hi Derek,
When you've got the wonderlust in your blood, I know you just can't ignore it. Whenever I get that feeling within, I just have to go somewhere that's been on my mind. I think it's just a wonderful experience. Enjoy it as long as you can.
Silvia silk/JasmineTexts.Com
Derek, freedom is a great thing,especially when we are free to do what we want and when.Can we really be free.My question is how do we free ourselves from freedom in ecessable amounts .Life without four walls to guide us would suck,, Yes we can have to much freedom ,,S.Dee
Hi Derek,
When are you coming to CHINA? I am located in Hong Kong, and hope to see you soon!
Boy, if I had the freedom after accomplishing so much... I would do all the things I've wanted to do but have never been able to do.
Especially if I had unlimited plane tickets. Man...
"Derek Sivers, you're my hero..."
If you still want to work and do something random, maybe you can start a new TV station? Something like what MTV tried to be in the beginning? A tv show that shows music videos. But do it for all the independent artists out there.
Also broadcast from everywhere you go!
I don't know... Just a random thought that came to mind ;)
"Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Enjoy the life man. I don't think you've missed it one bit.
Derek, I think that only someone in your position can actually answer your questions. By this I mean someone who is loitering at the edges of the normal distribution bell curve.
You have got to your position because you are a lucky man. Lucky in that you have naturally inbuilt motivation. This, and hard work, has allowed you to get into the position you are in and you have enough self discipline to get up in the morning and feel passion towards something whether it be language learning, hang gliding, puppet making or whatever. This is a rare and special human characteristic.
For me, and I’m sure many others, should a miracle happen and, for example, my music be ‘discovered’ and financial rewards were forthcoming in abundance and I was thrust into your position, I would like to think that I would write that book I’ve always wanted to do and learn Krav Maga and learn how to play my guitar (properly) and learn German (properly) and update my website (more regularly) and learn how to video edit (properly)…the list is endless. But realistically, I don’t have in me what drives you. It’s not part of my make up. So should I be in your position rather than fulfilling all my desires (which I have convinced myself I will never get round to because I don’t have the time) I can almost guarantee that I would end up in a spiral of procrastination caused by an overwhelming amount of choice and time. I’m sure I would eventually be confined to my bed in front of my 65” plasma, surrounded by pizza boxes and coke cans with the health authorities having to tear down my walls to get me out of the house as I no longer fit through normal sized doors.
I, and the majority of people, live in the main body of the normal distribution bell curve – paid 9 to 5 job, Wife\Husband, Child, Cat – and will never get to the position you’re in because were are made of less stern stuff than yourself. Our ‘theoretical’ answers to your conundrum would be somewhat distant to reality and could only be seen as wish lists. Maybe Bill Gates or Richard Branson would have real solid answers!
My best shot at an answer would be to accept who you are and go with the flow.
I would love the freedom to go to Brazil to see a parade there. I love the costumes and the energy that I have seen on televison. Derek, I am happy for you and I respect you as a person. You can not sovle everyones financial problems. Your ideas can help if people will follow many of your suggections. Those who want to make you feel guilty because you are financially secure are only thinking of themselves.
I personally do not liek how the new CD Baby is set up. The only time I hear from them is when they are sending catalogs for me to buy something. Which I have. The new managers are only out to make money off of CD Baby artists. I no longer go to the site. I also no longer expect to see any monetary gain from this company.
I do plan to go on with my musical ventures and pray that whatever God has in store for me will help me to have the ability to help others thru my music and my personal involvements with family,friends and my fans.
I love to travel, but feel that I need a reason to want to see the rest of the world. I have not found that reason at this time.
Congrats to you Derek, GOD BLESS""
MS.DIMPLES
Waiting On Love"""
I often start to reply to your posts, but then stop because I know my reply would just kind of be lost in the sea of other replies. This time, for some reason, I don't really mind. I thought I'd wait a few days until no one was reading anymore, but wow, people are still reading and leaving comments! Cool!
Anyway, I just want to say that even though CD Baby has completely gone down the drain since Disc Makers took over, I really appreciate the many years of awesomeness BEFORE that happened! CD Baby was one of the only great companies that I've ever worked with, so even if though it ended, it was cool while it lasted!
Also, your posts and your life amaze me on a regular basis. When faced with two terrible options, I now sometimes think, humm...what's option #3? What's the option that I'm not seeing? Because it seems like your option #1 is probably most people's option #3 that they don't even see.
I guess I could say I had freedom all my life.
Now for two days a week I am committed to be somewhere.
I could always change that commitment.
But my decision is to change my life around a lot more.
So I don't have the freedom I once had.but on the other hand what did I trade it in for.Good question? not only for the money but for a chance on a new life of productivity.
Productivity over a sense of freedom what an idiot I was.
not true, Too much freedom can cause you to loose your self and your responsibility's.
What is it you want in your life?
You still could have a little sense of freedom within your productivity.and come out on top.
Unless you just need to let go of things and relax,maybe that's your goal!
If you have a lot of goals, freedom has to be compromise to what you can with stand within your soul.
Life is too short, in the ultimate composition of life freedom awaits for us that's what our soul strives for in the spiritual world
But what about this world.
How much freedom do you want?
and for what purpose?
Freedom is a state of mind, not a place or even a destination. The mind rooted in externals becomes bored,even in paradise. I applaud you for being your own person, and living outside of convention. The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the
necessary may speak. I think the necessary is speaking to you
Please make a movie D, I think you could do a great self produced flick, use some of the great music you've found over the years plus some of your own. Document your travels and what you find having your gift of freedom. I'd like to see you be involved in a Festival that brings CD Baby artists out with some great big names to. Call it the "Freedom Fest".
I was recently very inspired by a band from Portland www.gingerninjas.com
imagine a world tour for Peace that never stops until world peace is created. A traveling global pedal for peace, with concerts and festivals along the way totally powered by bikes.
Do something profound for the future of our planet, I hope you find a way with the gift of Freedom you now know.
Best wishes
Where do you go? where you are needed.
What do you do? what needs to be done. help, change, and education
Get a job at McDonald's.
I guess freedom is good if you can handle it. I have experienced sabbaticals in life where I've experienced the incredible joy of liberation and breathing room and I know all too well the familiar feel of the treasmill when you're trudging along just to survive and fullfill your responsibilities.
Sometimes a lack of freedom literally grounds you. I know that being a a parent has increased my consciousness about taking care of myself, contributing to my community, and truly being there for friends and family.
There is something about the comraderie of shared hardship that strengthens relationships, and constitutional fiber.
If I was 100% free, I'd be on a nice sailboat cruising around the world. Hands down..
Asking oneself, what would I do if I didn't Have to do anything, is a great question to ask even if one has to work. For me it is a question that woke me up today and I will work with it. I believe this question will help me align my true spirit with my life even if it's in increments due to commitments or income. And what if one did what they could do if they didn't have to do anything, on their time off? That would be somehow like Cristo's fence along the California coast-having one's life as art and an experiment. How would that time doing what you wish affect the other parts of your life? At least this kind of thing appeals to me and gives me a sense of expansion.
Yes you can have too much freedom, especially if you don't have freedom "to" anything and just freedom "from".
Life, I am sure you will agree, is a game. Games consist of freedoms, purposes and barriers. If the barriers are too big you feel overwhelmed and are a slave when you can't overcome them but equally too much freedom can be slavery as both are "no game" situations.
You need a balance of having a purpose, ie reason or goal, barriers that you can overcome or learn to overcome and the freedoms in between those barriers.
You may have no ties or responsibilities to you previous games because you basically won at those games and now you are creating new ones for yourself which is a good thing. You just need to make sure the games are big enough for you as, I don't know you personally but you seem like a big game player! Good luck with creating your new games!
Alex
Derek, I was just introduced to your blog today. I love it. Great thought provoking stuff. I am inspired by this post. Thank you for being so generous with your life. As for my reaction to this post...
I don't think there is any such thing as too much (real) freedom. Real freedom is internal. The real battlefield for freedom is in the heart and mind of the individual. Jesus came to us to give us the opportunity to live free. So much of organized religion (Western Institutional Church) stifles freedom. Jesus said I came to set you free. You do not have to become a religious nut follow Jesus into the freedom that he offers. If you study the life of Jesus without all of the religious BS you will find that he was really cool. If you had been alive when he walked the earth you would have loved to be around him. Until you are free on the inside you are not really free.
Derek, wait till the rest of the world awakens to this idea, to discover that this is possible - that people can make choices and own their freedom & live their power. Maybe that's how the old system will finally crumble - people turning their energy away from it to create something entirely new, instead of always fighting and reforming, round and round, cycle after cycle. Bravo! I can applaud you but I'm not there yet myself. Funny you should write about the very same questions that have been on my mind, those "what if...?" questions. Thanx!
Wow 349 responses!
Derek,
I have just completed a 7 month paid leave. I went to Europe and New Zealand. I can not stand having to go back to the everyday grind. There is no such thing as too much freedom for those of us who have 'gypsy souls." Now....I'm looking for alternatives!
Absolute freedom is absolute responsibility, and the beauty and mystery of it is:it's as light as a feather, independent of conditions or circumstances.
John
Derek,
I really think you ought to become a teacher. You would be great at leading college seminars. Your ideas are very thought-provoking: just the sort of subject matter men and women in their late teens and early twenties need to confront as they try to make sense of the world. It would mean less freedom, but there is a joy in being beholden to one's students, knowing that they depend on you, having to be the best possible role model, and directly making a difference in other people's lives.
I think potentially the only dangers in too much freedom can be just saying...well I don't want to do anything but lie in bed all day...not that that's necessarily a bad thing...usually people have goals in life they'd try to achieve...If you're a musician, you can work at achieving success, and if you've reached success, why not try to top or improve what you've already done.
This is why many of the "greats" are great...Kobe Bryant hasn't been complacent just because he won a basketball championship last year...he's still got a work ethic second to none and is working at improving his game (tho he could "lounge around" all off season if he wanted to...a great role model in my perspective...why not try to be the BEST you can be at whatever you do!
I think it's time you focus on yourself.
I remember in fall of 1991 walking through a festival back in my hometown with my sister's boyfriend. I was in the middle of stage IV throat cancer. Had completed 2 operations and 2 more to go and then 2 months of daily radiations treatments (not at all what a trumpet player wants to be going through). He asked me what it (the cancer experience) was like. I remember telling him that I felt incredibly FREE. Not concerned about time, not worried about what people thought of me or what I did. Willing to try new things at the drop of a hat. Often talked with my "cancer buddies" about how beautiful of an experience it was. I felt like I had been jerked out of the "matrix." What I learned at that time was that I had ALWAYS been free. It was only my perception of the world I had created around myself that had given me a feeling that I wasn't free. When that "mind bomb" went off, it felt like a 500lb weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Later, I learned what to do with that FREEDOM....love...experience....create
this is pretty amazing. the universe does give back in abundance when we truly believe that we can manifest anything. i was actually in new york city last week. on my last day before returning my wife and i sat in bryant park in the rain and i told her, " The only thing that would make me happier right now would be a book." No more than 3 minutes later a woman by the name of Envangelina Cifliganec appeared asking if we would like to buy her novel, "happy something". check out the book.www.happysomethingpress.com.
In my late twenties I had an unsettling feeling that I would not live past the age of 35. I felt that I must accomplish everything I wanted to in life within a compressed timeframe.
Age thirty-five has come and gone long ago.
I don't understand why I felt that way when I did. What I do know is that it catalized the process of self-discovery and propelled me toward my dreams with greater urgency.
You may want to ask yourself the question, "If I only had 5 or 6 more years to live, how would I want to spend that time?
Truthfully, you may be snatched from this plain of existance at any time. Ask yourself if you are ready to go, and if not, focus on what would give you that sense of peace.
When we are healthy and free to choose, we tend to take much for granted.
You might even want to seek direction from your higher power. Somewhere there is an entity who knows you better than you know yourself and who tells us we always have a direct line if we're ready to make the call.
I have a feeling you may surprise yourself in ways you never imagined.
May it be a wonderful journey
"We moved a lot when I was a kid. Lived in 5 states and countries by the time I was 5."
Did you know you grew up as a (TCK) Third Culture Kid?
Here's the definition:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Culture_Kids
It seems to explain your itchy feet to travel and try new things, it's a common characteristic of TCKs.
Innnnteresting! Never heard of this. Thanks for letting me know. -- Derek
A few years ago, I found out about these little girls in Nepal who are sold into slavery...Through NYOF.org it costs only $100 to free one of these children, return them to their parents and enroll them in school. It broke my heart when I read this and knew I needed to do something about it. For the past 2 years, I've organized a "Freedom Dance" to fundraise for them. The first dance paid for the freedom of 84 girls, and this year's raised enough for at least 80 girls to be set free. Next year, I want to find a way to free at least 1000 girls and start to get involved w/protecting children in Nepal from being sold into prostitution. Today, there are over 200,000 Nepali girls sold into prostitution in India...
I do this work on the side, as a volunteer. The only "freedom" that I wish I had that I don't already have is to have enough money so that I could do this work full time I so want to help more children to be free...
Well, Derek, it sounds like you're really good at making money and your whole life has been about a quest for freedom - do you have any interest in helping me to be super successful in freeing lots and lots of children from literal slavery? Blessings on your journey, Lauri
I often wonder with picture you inserted in the end of every your post, any photoshop maybe
Hey Derek -
Just a quick note to say thanks for this article ... it resonates with me a lot
Thanks for the encouragement!
Cheers,
Tim
I believe the only freedom that exists, exists on a more internal level of
your being. If you feel free, you are free. all the external stuff is not
what makes you free. it's your state of mind and spirit. i'm glad you
stated that you feel happy and complete, because otherwise, by the sounds of
it, your "freedom" sounds exciting, but a bit isolating. the lifestyle you
live might make some relationships difficult to maintain on a conventional
level. plus, in terms of lovers, your field of choices would, i imagine,
get pretty narrow once you eliminate anyone with their own career, family
ties, and other personal aspirations that might conflict with your moving
around so much. i suspect that if at some point you did settle somewhere
you'd still feel happy and complete because that's an internal thing that
you hopefully have. i think that kind of freedom comes from discovering some
sort of purpose in life that somehow contributes positivity in the world.
sort of an internal enlightenment arising out of acute self awareness.
it's interesting isn't it though? this is what most people aspire to when
they dream of wealth and prosperity. the whole point is to buy freedom.
but as you and i know all too well, there are some things money cannot
buy... real love, peace, and yes, emotional freedom. if you've got these
then you're richer than the richest man.
What if??? You are as fast as the slowest man and as slow as the fastest man... what if then you are as free as the man most enslaved? What then? What if... true freedom is when 'freedom' is available to every single human being. What if you're as trapped as the next man... and merely have the capacity to boast that you're not? Like, really, what if?
Show me the way
Not sure why there's so much negativity in the comments, but I enjoy the self-reflection you encourage here.
Those two questions are difficult though, because we think we know what we would do or where we'd go if money and time weren't issues.
I am starting to see that we can't know until we get there, so we just have to focus on the now and see when we get there.
As for you Derek, you freakin rock for letting us in on your life like this.
Th