Connor Beaton argues that true freedom is the ability to control impulses. He contrasts modern notions of freedom as indulgence with a view that freedom requires constraints and deliberate development of impulse control, framing dominion over desires as mastery in service of higher aims rather than denial.
Have dominion over your impulses. Freedom is the power to control ourselves. I had no impulse control, and nobody helped me to refine it. And so what do you think that led to? It led to a whole bunch of addictive behaviors. Modern freedom, in the way that most people talk about it, is often confused with indulgence. A lot of people will promote an ideal of freedom that actually has almost zero impulse control. It's like you should be able to be free to do whatever you want, say whatever you want, experience whatever you want, feel however you want. And ultimate freedom has. Comes with some type of constraints. The more that we can put in impulse control, the more free that we feel. We have to begin to build our impulse control and do it systematically. Because dominion means mastering your desires. It's not about denying your desires, but placing them in service of something higher.
How to Raise Strong, Unshakable Boys in Today's Culture, with Dr. Shefali Tsabary
