Words by Eva Davidová
photography by Vincent Beck Mathieu

I’ve been thinking about the idea of Freedom lately — Freedom is a well-documented concept that has become part of our moral fiber. We live in the land of the free after all.
⠀
However, in a society that increasingly puts value on what we have or what we have the ability to acquire, the definition of freedom changes.⠀
⠀
Additionally, the desire for others to know about and admire how free we are is becoming a self-inflicted prison. Even if we are someone who does not put value on trying to keep up with a Kardashian, we can fall into other social traps that slowly change how we define being free.
⠀
We are in competition with invisible entities. Having outlets like social media can at times trap us in cycles of likes, stalking or just mindless searching—for nothing. Literally nothing. We’ve all been there. I’ve been there. ⠀
⠀
And we can’t stop.⠀

“Finding freedom is about re-learning how to enjoy a moment that went from day to night without feeling you missed out on an unknown that wasn’t a part of that moment.”⠀

⠀
Being connected and checking in, even if it is at your weekend meditation retreat, starts to limit how we define being free. We need people to know we do these evolved human being activities and, therefore, are awesome.
⠀
However, after we have checked in online and subsequently documented every moment for public consumption, can we say we lived in the moment?⠀
⠀
Just putting your phone away for a few hours, while a challenge, does not provide us the freedom of the moment we all deserve. ⠀
⠀
So what does it mean to truly live in the moment?
⠀
To redefine our freedom could mean reevaluating our value structure.⠀
We are not free if we can be found every day of every moment. And more importantly, if we feel the need to be found, we are not free. We have slowly closed ourselves in self-inflicted social acceptance jails. ⠀
⠀
Finding freedom is about finding ourselves truly in every moment. Defining our thoughts, our feelings and ourselves. Re-learning how to enjoy a moment that went from day to night without feeling you missed out on an unknown that wasn’t a part of that moment.⠀
⠀
That’s the simplicity of appreciation and gratitude—and ultimately being free. Un-scheduling your life at times and allowing yourself the moments that no one knows about.