The Pursuit of Freedom
Freedom. One of the sweetest words in the English language. But what does freedom truly mean in our modern world?
Freedom.
One of the sweetest words in the English language.
Throughout history, many of the major turning points were related to freedom—the serfs versus the landowners in medieval Europe, the American colonists breaking from British rule, slaves breaking their chains in the 19th century, the laborers in the Gilded Age entering the middle class, women gaining the right to vote, civil rights advocates in the US and elsewhere having their rights granted, and liberation movements across Africa and Asia throwing off colonial rule.
As the founding fathers of the US Constitution wrote:
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
The word itself carries the weight of millennia, echoing through history like a battle cry that has inspired revolutions, shaped civilizations, and driven individuals to extraordinary acts of courage and self-determination.
But what does freedom truly mean? And how has our understanding of this fundamental human aspiration evolved from the marble columns of ancient Greece to the digital nomad lifestyle of today?
The concept of freedom finds its earliest philosophical roots in ancient Greece, where the word eleutheria described not merely the absence of physical bondage, but the positive capacity for self-governance and civic participation.
The Greeks understood freedom as inherently collective—you were free not in isolation, but as a participating member of the polis, the city-state where citizens could engage in the noble art of politics and shape their collective destiny.
The Romans expanded this vision with their own interpretation of libertas, adding legal frameworks and institutional protections that would echo through centuries. Roman freedom was about living under laws rather than under the arbitrary will of tyrants.
It was procedural, systematic, and crucially, it recognized that true liberty required structures to protect it. The Roman republic, for all its flaws, demonstrated that freedom could be institutionalized and preserved across generations.
Yet this classical understanding of freedom would face its greatest test with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the descent into what we call the Dark Ages. The fall of Rome ushered in an era where individual freedom largely disappeared into the hierarchical structures of feudalism.
The medieval worldview placed duty, obligation, and divine order above personal liberty. Freedom became a luxury of the aristocratic few, while the vast majority lived bound by serfdom, guild restrictions, and rigid social hierarchies.
During these centuries, freedom survived primarily in scattered city-states, in the merchant republics of Italy, and in the philosophical preservation of classical texts in monasteries and Islamic centers of learning.
The Scholastics in the 13th century caught glimpses of freedom in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, who synthesized Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology, arguing that natural law and human reason could guide moral and political life.
These ideas then emerged more fully in the Italian city-states, spurred by the emergence of the printing press which gave freedom of thought in relation to Biblical matters, and also scientific inquiry. The Renaissance flourished with figures like Galileo challenging established astronomical doctrine and Leonardo Da Vinci pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and artistic expression.
The very idea that common people might possess inherent rights to self-determination was beginning to stir, waiting for the full intellectual renaissance that would eventually transform the world.
That reawakening began in earnest with English political philosophers, most notably John Locke, whose revolutionary ideas would fundamentally reshape humanity's understanding of freedom.
Locke's Two Treatises of Government articulated what seems obvious to us now but was radical then: that individuals possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property that exist independent of government authority.
Locke argued that legitimate government derives its power from the consent of the governed, and that this social contract exists to protect, not grant, our natural freedoms.
His ideas joined a chorus of English thinkers who were developing concepts of religious tolerance, economic liberty, and constitutional limits on power. The English experience with civil wars, the Glorious Revolution, and gradual constitutional development created a laboratory for freedom that would inspire the world.
But it was in America where these ideas found their fullest expression. The American Revolution was not merely a war of independence—it was the world's first successful attempt to create a nation founded explicitly on principles of individual liberty and limited government.
The founding fathers, steeped in Enlightenment philosophy and English political tradition, crafted something unprecedented: a constitutional republic designed to maximize individual freedom while maintaining social order.
Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence proclaimed that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed" and that people possess "certain unalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
James Madison's constitutional framework created competing power centers designed to prevent any single faction from dominating others. The Bill of Rights explicitly protected individual freedoms of speech, religion, press, and assembly.
Adam Smith's economic ideas about free markets complemented this political freedom, creating space for individuals to pursue prosperity through voluntary exchange rather than political favor.
What made the American experiment great was its recognition that freedom is not a gift from government but a natural condition that government exists to protect. This inverted the traditional relationship between ruler and ruled, making sovereignty rest with the people themselves.
Yet freedom's journey has never been smooth or guaranteed. The 20th century brought unprecedented threats in the form of totalitarian ideologies—fascism, communism, and various forms of authoritarianism that sought to crush individual liberty entirely. Tyrants like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao demonstrated how quickly freedom could vanish when people became complacent about protecting it.
Even in societies that survived these totalitarian challenges, something has gone wrong in recent decades. The very societies that pioneered freedom now seem to be systematically restricting it. The economic dynamism that once characterized free societies has given way to credentialism, regulatory capture, and barriers to entry that favor established players over entrepreneurs and innovators.
The job market has become increasingly unfavorable to individual initiative. Where previous generations could start businesses, learn trades, or create their own economic opportunities with relative ease, today's economy demands expensive credentials, regulatory compliance, and navigation of bureaucratic mazes that favor large corporations over individual enterprise.
Speech, once considered the cornerstone of free society, faces new restrictions through both formal regulation and informal social pressure.
The digital town squares where much of modern discourse occurs are controlled by a handful of technology companies that can effectively silence voices they deem problematic. Meanwhile, regulatory agencies expand their reach into every aspect of daily life, from the food we eat to the words we speak.
Perhaps most troubling is the financial oppression that has emerged through monetary policy, taxation, and regulatory compliance costs that make it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to build wealth or maintain middle-class lifestyles.
The American dream of economic mobility seems to be fading as asset prices inflate beyond the reach of typical workers while real wages stagnate.
This erosion of freedom is not merely a philosophical concern—it has real consequences for real people seeking to live meaningful, self-determined lives. In 2017, I faced this reality personally while working as a banker in Canada. The traditional path of climbing the corporate ladder, working within heavily regulated industries, and accepting the constraints of a 9-to-5 existence felt increasingly like a prison rather than a pathway to prosperity.
So I made a choice that previous generations of freedom-seekers would recognize: I left.
Just as the Pilgrims sailed for America or pioneers headed west in search of opportunity, I decided to change countries in pursuit of freedom. By relocating to a place with lower costs of living, fewer regulatory restrictions, and better networking opportunities, I was able to break free from the constraints that were limiting my potential.
This wasn't merely about money, though financial freedom was certainly part of it.
It was about reclaiming the fundamental human right to shape my own destiny, to take risks, to build something meaningful, and to enjoy the fruits of my labor without excessive interference from bureaucrats and regulators.
Working on various businesses and eventually building Grey River has been an exercise in applied freedom—the practical implementation of the classical liberal ideals that built the modern world.
Today, most of my clients come to me in pursuit of the same thing I sought: freedom. They want to escape the constraints of over-regulated domestic markets, reduce their tax burdens, access global opportunities, and build wealth in ways that weren't available to previous generations.
They understand that in our interconnected world, freedom is no longer confined by national borders. True freedom today means having options. It means being able to live where you choose, work with whom you choose, and structure your affairs in ways that optimize for your values rather than the convenience of tax collectors and regulators.
It means building multiple income streams, maintaining citizenship and residency options in different jurisdictions, and creating the kind of resilience that comes from not being dependent on any single system.
The clients I work with value what the philosophers called freedom: the ability to live as you please without excess regulation, financial oppression, or interference in your personal choices. They want to enjoy life as they see fit, take calculated risks, and reap the rewards of their efforts.
Freedom is not a destination but a continuous struggle. Each generation must fight to preserve it, expand it, and adapt it to new circumstances.
The Greeks gave us the philosophical foundation.
The Romans provided legal frameworks. The English developed constitutional protections.
The United States of America is a nation founded as dedicated to liberty.
Now it falls to us to ensure that freedom survives the challenges of our age. This means being willing to vote with our feet when necessary, to build new institutions when old ones become corrupted, and to remember that freedom is not maintained by hoping politicians will protect it, but by individuals taking responsibility for their own liberation.
The pursuit of freedom requires courage, creativity, and sometimes sacrifice.
But as those who have tasted true liberty know, there is no substitute for the dignity that comes from living as a free human being in control of your own destiny.
In a world where freedom seems increasingly under threat, perhaps the most radical act is simply to claim it for yourself—to build a life structured around your values, to create wealth through voluntary exchange, and to demonstrate through your success that human flourishing happens not through submission to authority, but through the exercise of individual liberty in service of something greater than yourself.
Freedom, ultimately, is not something governments grant or corporations provide. It is something we claim, protect, and expand through our own choices and actions.
The torch of liberty has been passed through countless hands across the centuries.
Now it rests in ours.
What we do with it will echo through history long after we're gone, inspiring future generations to continue the eternal human quest -
For freedom.
WORK WITH NATE:
Nate has dedicated his life to advising high performing entrepreneurs, investors, and executives in their pursuits of financial and lifestyle freedom
Contact him at: shantz@grey-river.com to get in touch with him.