Yesterday, I wrote a follow-up to my Monday post titled Why Are We Slow to Change When Better Options Exist? After going through examples of the English longbow, Netflix vs Blockbuster, and remote work, I came to the conclusion that we are slow to change because of fear. We’re fearful that validating change will lead to a future, not to our liking. But by not validating the better option, eventually, the inevitable becomes the future.
A major reason fear keeps us from changing is because our society wasn’t built on freedom. Yes, the United States may be “The land of the free,” but the U.S. has always been ruled by someone. Call it a democracy, but today’s government does not let “freedom ring.” Society makes fear-induced decisions because society isn’t free or freeing.
The Toltecs on Freedom and Fear
“When we talk about the Toltec path to freedom, we find that they have an entire map for breaking free of domestication. They compare the Judge, the Victim, and the belief system to a parasite that invades the human mind. From the Toltec point of view, all humans who are domesticated are sick. They are sick because there is a parasite that controls the mind and controls the brain. The food for the parasite is the negative emotions that come from fear.” – Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements
The Toltecs touch upon a few things that lead to a lack of freedom. Instead of calling it society, they call it domestication, and within domestication, there’s “the Judge, the Victim, and the belief system.” I equate these three categories as a superior figure (boss, employer), yourself, and society’s norms. By giving power to others, or not believing in your own power, you are giving into fear, thus giving up freedom.
Freedom for a Better Tomorrow
Changing the world for the better requires us to not make fear-induced decisions. In order to defeat fear, we must defend ourselves from society, our superiors, and self-doubt. Awareness to our fears leads to an ability to defeat domestication. And, as the Toltecs believe, freedom will result.