Global Chaos and the Freedom of the Toltecs

Toltec-style vessel/Wikimedia

These are chaotic times we live in: Russian Ukrainians want to be free from the Ukrainian government and other Ukrainians want to be free from their former President and his crony oligarchs. In Syria, the Sunni-Muslim majority wants to be free from the minority Alawite regime of Bashar al Assad. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood wanted to be free from the secular Mubarak regime, but also from the obligations of a democratic society. In the U.S. and elsewhere where income and wealth disparity has been growing strongly, the 1% wants to be free from taxes, government, and "restrictive" regulations while the 99% wants to be free from want and poverty. In the European Union, the established voices want to be free from a real debate with opponents of further European integration, while those same opponents and populists want to be free from European rules and regulations. This list can go on and on from our communities in our own neighborhoods to places in South America, Africa and Asia.  

While thinking of this unbridled quest for freedom, this reminded me of the popular book The Four Agreements, a Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz, based on traditional Toltec wisdom beliefs. I'm paraphrasing here some parts of that book: