(BONUS EPISODE) Co-Dependence, Interdependence, Independence: The Journey of Inner Freedom

<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><em>Co-Dependence, Interdependence, Independence: The Journey of Inner Freedom</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When we talk about and celebrate Independence Day in the United States, or in any country, it is a celebration of an outer change that led to people being free physically and materially, and that’s a wonderful and beautiful thing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But what we’re coming to understand in this work, is that <em>real</em> freedom can never be attained through changing some outer appearance. It is only attained when we become free of the bondage, slavery, oppression, and the repression of our own inner empire, of the ego reigning like a dictatorial leader.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That’s why there’s plenty of people living in a “free” country that</span> are <span style= "font-size: 12pt;">in bondage.  I remember listening to Nelson Mandala, who was in prison for 26 years, I believe, but he had become free long before that. (And because of that, he was able to set the country free.) </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ultimately, you want to become “inner-dependent”. This is where you’re no longer</span> leaning <span style="font-size: 12pt;">on the interactivity of the world, or looking to someone else. You’re no longer manipulating and adjusting yourself.  Also, no longer leaning even on your own human goodness or human capacities. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s important to know the different kinds of dependence, as these are the stages you typically move through to become</span> inner-dependent<span style= "font-size: 12pt;">: Letting go of co-dependence, coming into independence, growing through interdependence, and ultimately move to inner-dependence.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There’s co-dependence, where you are not able to feel okay about yourself unless you can make someone else feel okay about themselves.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The