The Real 'I' is Freedom

The emergence of the 'I' does not give us a freedom of power, the freedom to judge and condemn others and to think ourselves better than they are. Nor does it give the freedom of independence, the capacity to do whatever we want. It gives the freedom of vulnerability, the capacity to suffer with others, to listen to them so as to understand their pain. It is the freedom to take our own place and not anyone else's in society and the universe, so as to live communion and compassion, and communicate trust and freedom to others. It is the freedom to submit to a truth and justice that is greater than ourselves and our group and which allows us to be in communion with universal and eternal values. It is the freedom to be ourselves.
- Jean Vanier, Our Journey Home, p. 168