The path to healing brings one to the path to freedom. The way to freedom is a matter of choice. Compulsions that come in the forms of needs and fears are at the root of un-freedom. However, behind compulsive needs, one discovers anguish. The road that leads to freedom is never easy for it involves a real struggle. Embarking on the road to freedom is possible when one is no longer governed by compulsions or passions. Authentic freedom has its signs, viz., truthful acceptance of self and others, capacity to love and to be compassionate, liberation from masks that hide people from themselves and reality, that is, the death of the false self. One needs to make decisive steps on the road to freedom through the following points: a] to learn that fear can be a good counselor; a] to become aware of one’s limits and blockages; c] to look for the wisdom that comes from unexpected events; d] to have a companion, to have somebody to stand beside with, somebody who loves and understands; e] to have a role model who are witnesses to truth and have a clear vision; f] to recognize that the road to freedom is also a struggle; g] to recognize that the liberation of the heart comes when we live in communion with God.
Freedom leads to forgiveness. Forgiveness is to liberate, to release from bondage. Forgiveness is freedom from inner hurts that govern behavior and acts of inhumanity towards others. Hurts cause guilt and guilt leads to self-hatred and anger towards those who inflicted those hearts. Forgiveness is the experience of being released from one’s preferences. There are three basic principles underlying forgiveness that brings reconciliation: a] there can be no forgiveness of oneself or others unless we believe that we are all part of a common humanity; b] to forgive means to believe that each of us can evolve and change, that human redemption is possible; c] to forgive means to yearn for unity and peace. Nevertheless, these principles can be concretized through five steps: a] refusal to take revenge; b] genuine heartfelt hope that the oppressor be liberated; c] desire to understand the oppressor; d] recognition of our own darkness, we too have hurt people and perhaps have contributed to the hardness of oppressors; e] patience for it takes time to change, to be free and to evolve. Forgiveness leads to reconciliation.
The journey to becoming fully human is indeed an exodus from bondage to freedom. Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche community speaks about the human’s journey to freedom: “If each one of us today begins this journey and has the courage to forgive and be forgiven, we will no longer be governed by past hurts. Wherever we may be—in our families, our work places, with friends, or in places of worship or of leisure—we can rise up and become agents of a new land. But let us not put our sights too high. We do not have to be saviors of the world! We are simply human beings, enfolded in weakness and in hope, called together to change our world one heart at a time.”