Freedom
The word freedom means something different to every person. If you have never thought about freedom, you should count yourself fortunate. To me freedom means not having to worry about your future. I have not had freedom since I was a small child. I am a worrier. I cannot relax without thinking of things that should be done. The trouble is, I'm also lazy. That is a bad combination. If i were industrious, I could at least have some down time between worry sessions. As it is, I overlap the times where I should be doing something and the times where I should be relaxing before the next time I have something that needs to be done.
I'm trying to think what my perfect life would be. The thought of winning the lottery comes to mind. There would still be things I have to do of course, but at least some of the monetary pressure would be taken off. Maybe. There is no promised land. That day has come and gone. It could be a damn sight easier though.
People think the Quakers have it hard without all the modern "conveniences". There was a show a long time ago that asked a bunch of different people how "happy" they were. Quakers came out on top. They get up before dawn and work all day on a farm. Then they go to bed when they run out of light. They do it all again the next day, and the next. Once in a while they go to town for supplies. They go to church for the great human need of gathering. Yet, they are some of the most satisfied folks on the planet. I have some ideas about this.
# They know their place. They work the land. The land feeds them. They don't have to worry about advancement, placement, competing with other employees or how much of a pain the boss can be.
# They have a life long plan before the age of five.
# They help their friends and their friends help them. They all believe in the same things (more or less) and they all know what to do when it comes to a barn raising.
# No car payments. Buggy insurance is not as bad as you might think