“Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision.”
– V.S. Naipal (Trinidadian writer of Indian descent, awarded the Nobel Literature Prize in 2001)

Kabir – The couplet
?? ??? ?? ????, ???? ??? ?? ??? |
?? ???? ???? ???, ???? ???? ???? ||

transliterated:
Har chale so maanav, behad chale so saadh |
Hadh behad dono taje, taako bhaata agadh ||

Translation:
He who stays within the limits of teachings is man, he who explores beyond is a guide |
But he who soars beyond without limit, he is the true seeker, the saint who finds ||

My thoughts:
Freedom is a curious concept. We are free to think of anything in any way at any time; but to be truly free, we have to first learn to exercise restraint.

The musician who wants to be free to create music needs to limit his other activities so as to allow himself to be immersed in his music – the scientist chasing the elusive solution to a puzzle removes himself from the humdrum of daily life.

Freedom, then, comes from the realization of complete discipline. The first step to freedom is knowledge. Knowledge is what sets us free and on the path to seek truth. Truth enables us to realize the purpose of our existence. Realizing our purpose, when we walk on the path leading to the fulfillment of that purpose is when we find true freedom.