Let Us Give Ourselves This Gift

Freedom is something that moves me, that intrigues me, like a kind of key for crossing a threshold.

I believe we are not born free; we become free. I believe freedom cannot be decreed. It is ours to seize.
And of course, this conquest is waged neither against our family, nor against others, nor against the world — it is waged against oneself, against our own fears.

I have realised that if we spend so much time wanting to please, answering the invisible expectations of other people’s gaze, obeying frames we never chose… it is in order to be loved, and above all not to disappoint. But if we held the certainty that we could dare and still go on being loved, would we take the great leap?

This inner dialogue, I know well. As I look within, I become aware of the excuses I impose upon myself — first the gaze of others, then their judgement; but in truth, it is also the fear (my own fear) of daring.

So I sum it all up and tell myself: I must disobey.

First I disobey the frame, the “what we believe we are supposed to be.”
Then I disobey myself: “no, I can’t do that, I have to, it isn’t sensible…”

And then I dare: I dare everything, step by step — and that is where it all begins.

The day we finally allow ourselves to think for ourselves, to act without permission, without justification. It is like standing at the top of a rollercoaster. The heart races — but I listen to my heart. Full stop.
On that day, freedom is no longer a dream; it is.

I have understood that the joy is not in perfection — it is in audacity.

It is like walking with your eyes closed, even without certainty.

And I have also understood that if we believe we are behind, or that it is too late, let us be reassured: life is always resourceful. Opportunities are like buses — there is always another one coming.

What matters is not the hour at which we climb aboard, but the courage to climb aboard at last.

I must thank you once again. All our encounters, our exchanges, our connections teach me about my limits — and, of course, encourage me to cross them.

Thank you for being here.