What Does It Mean To Be Sovereign?

“As a sovereign being, you do not need the permission or direction of another; these can only come from the sacred

inner sanctum of your heart” (Kris Franken).

“ The person I was waiting for was me.  I could authorize my own choice.  I could choose may own validation with sovereignty” (Madison Morrison).

“No one saves us but ourselves.  No one can and no one may.  We, ourselves, must walk the path [to be sovereign]” (The Buddha).

The word, ‘sovereign’ is a noun or an adjective that means, “…(noun) a ruler, king or queen, have aristocratic titles, be a leader of national and regional governments; (adjective) having the highest power or being completely independent” (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sovereign).  We can easily see that established countries are sovereign.  Personal sovereignty is also easy to see once you know what it is.

What is personal sovereignty? Simply, it is holding the highest authority over ourselves, over our own lives. According to Gene Eidelman and Kellan Fluckiger, “In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel that external circumstances dictate our existence. We attribute success and failure to factors beyond our control—the economy, the government, societal expectations, or unforeseen events. But here’s the thing: Blaming externalities diminishes our sense of agency and hinders our growth and fulfillment. The opposite is also true. Choosing personal sovereignty—claiming our power as the ultimate architects of our life experience—leads to a more empowered and authentic existence.  From a young age, we are conditioned to seek validation and direction from external sources. Society’s norms, cultural expectations, and even well-meaning parents and leaders teach us to relinquish personal agency. Over time, this reinforces the myth that our locus of control is external. We learn to attribute our outcomes to others, creating a cycle of dependency and disempowerment” (https://www.fastcompany.com/91296922/the-choice-of-personal-sovereignty).

What does personal sovereignty look like? 

• “‘Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.’— Haruki Murakami. If you’re familiar with the teachings of mindfulness or Buddhism, you may have come across the expression, ‘pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.’  Although painful experiences are inevitable and beyond our control, suffering is, to a large extent, determined by our attitude — by the way we look upon and react to the difficulties that arise in our lives” (https://thinklessandgrowrich.medium.com/why-pain-is-inevitable-but-suffering-is-optional-48f7c053d87d).Life presents painful situations and experiences; the personally sovereign person can choose not to suffer because of pain.

• Freedom of thoughts and beliefs.  When we hold our own values, religious and/or spiritual beliefs, or worldview without force / oppression / harassment, we are personally sovereign.

• Self-determination. When we choose our career, relationships, where we live, and how we live, we are personally sovereign.

• Privacy. When we exercise our right to keep our thoughts, our data, and our personal life to ourselves, we are personally sovereign.

• Financial independence.  When we can control our own money and resources, we are personally sovereign.

• Consent and opinions.  When we have the ability to agree with or disagree with any exchange in a relationship that affects us, we are personally sovereign. Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius demonstrates this example of personal sovereignty: “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgements” ( Meditations, Book 6).

• Bodily autonomy.  When we decide what happens to our body, such as medical care, diet, appearance, we are personally sovereign.

• Power over your emotions and responses. When we choose how we express emotions and choose to respond thoughtfully rather than react thoughtlessly, we are personally sovereign.

Where does personal sovereignty show up? It shows up in how we use our voice in having a say in the rules and systems that govern us, such as in voting and in due process.  It shows up when we set boundaries with family, friends, and work. It shows up in laws of informed consent and property rights.  It shows up in the balance between individual rights and state / federal powers.

What elements challenge personal sovereignty? Unfortunately, several forces can wear down personal sovereignty:

• Institutional and structural elements. As we have seen over the past few years, laws / regulations / executive orders / wonky Supreme Court and Congressional misinterpretations influenced by political and religious pacs, have eroded the basic human rights over our own lives. A country, state, or corporation that spies on people, seeks to challenge our personal sovereignty. Rule-bound, inflexible, authoritarian systems do not value personal sovereignty over submission. And, when economic dependency of needing a job, healthcare, housing exert control of personal choices, personal sovereignty can become problematic.  When religions / churches demand everyone believes like they do and they attach themselves to the government, individual sovereignty is challenged.

• Relationship, societal, and cultural pressure to conform. When family members, intimate partners, or communities demand traditionalism and ultimate conformity, personal sovereignty may be more difficult to maintain.

• Needs and desires of the collective vs. the individual. The tension created by the balance of the collective wishes and the individual preferences is a challenge to personal sovereignty.  For example, public health opinions / statutes, environmental regulations / deregulations often attempt to require some individual sovereignty to be swapped for the perceived collective benefit that is in an authentically contested area of life in which reasonable, sane people disagree on where the balance line should sit: these are threats to personal sovereignty.

Even though challenges and limitations attempt to repress personal sovereignty, we can choose all areas of sovereignty available to us. One of the reasons I remain single is because the status allows me a high level of personal sovereignty.  If I have the money to take a trip, I don’t need to check with anyone else; I do it.  If I want to get another PhD, I do it; I do not have run it by anyone else.  If I enjoy a tidy, quiet, peaceful home decorated as I desire, I do not have to negotiate with anyone else.  I could go on, but, I think you see what I mean. Personal autonomy and personal sovereignty are top values for me.

Everyday, I read from The Stoics, sometimes in Latin because I’m a nerd.  Here is wisdom from Marcus Aurelius from Meditations that resonate with my desire for personal sovereignty:

• “You have power over your mind, not outside events.  Realize this, and you will find strength”

• “Characteristics of the rational soul: self-perception, self-examination, and the power to make of itself whatever it wants. It reaps its own harvest.  It reaches its intended goal, no matter where the limit of its life is set. No matter which task you pick, it has fulfilled its mission, done its work completely. So that it can say, ‘ I have what I came for.’”

• “If someone despises me, that’s their problem. Mine, not to do or say anything despicable. If someone hates me, that’s their problem. Mine, to be patient and cheerful with everyone, including them. Ready to show them their mistake. Not spitefully, or to show off my own self-control, but in an honest, upright way. That’s the way we should be like inside, and never let the gods catch us feeling anger or resentment.”

• “Just as nature takes every obstacle, every impediment, and works around it, and turns it to its purposes, incorporates it into itself, so, too, a rational being can turn each setback into raw material and use it to achieve its goal.”

• “Remember: Matter-how tiny you share of it.  Time-how brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate-how small a role you play in it.”

• And, from philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, “My formula for greatness in a human being is Amor Fati [Latin for ‘love of one’s fate’]: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it…but love it” (https://philosophybreak.com/articles/amor-fati-the-stoics-and-nietzsche-different-takes-on-loving-fate/).  This relates to the "Metaphysical Universal Principle of Polarity and Duality: ‘“Every truth has a twin. Every mountain casts a shadow” (Lewis, Laws of Metaphysics, Chapter 27). This principle explains that everything has two opposing aspects and suggests that opposites are not just distinct but are actually different degrees of the same essence” (qtd. in Duncan, Constructing Your Spiritual Life Without Religion - soon-to-be published book).  Nothing is all good or all bad: “There is always polarity (good or bad) and duality (bad and good) in our lives. Embracing both is what this Metaphysical Principle is about” (Duncan, Constructing Your Spiritual Life Without Religion - soon-to-be published book).  When I am personally sovereign, I am not attached to seeing the extremes of ‘good’ and ‘bad.’

What are the advantages of embracing personal sovereignty?

• having true authority over your own choices, body, and life

• greater satisfaction in life because your choices reflect your values rather that from any external pressures / forces.

• strong sense of identity, self-respect, and autonomy

• feeling less resentment, hatred, fear that comes from feeling that you’re being coerced, controlled

• clear decision-making because your choices are likely to fit your specific circumstances and because you know your situation better than any outside authority

• swifter decisions and responses because you don’t have to check with others’ approval or get permission

• gives you the space to test, to experiment, and to learn from your own mistakes and wins and that builds confidence and competence

• You’re less vulnerable to manipulation and gaslighting because you’re figuring things out for yourself,

• You are more adaptable because self-reliance accepts change and can transfer abilities across various situations.

• You may tend to be financially independent which reduces leverage others can hold over you.

• Your relationships are based on choice rather than obligation, so they tend to be more authentic.

• You are less open to high-pressure control situations, organizations, and people.

• Your Emotional Intelligence is going to be much higher when you embrace personal sovereignty.

• It is harder to control you when you think and act for yourself.

• encourages personal responsibility because you acknowledge and own the consequences of your actions and decisions.

Please share your thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at MissyDuncanPhdofficial@gmail.com . I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.missyduncanphdofficial.com.  Earlier in the post, I mentioned my new book, Constructing Your Spiritual Life Without Religion.  If you want to learn more about this book that will be published early next year, please go to my website listed above or to my YouTube channel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvddqOlfJbS0ypODwbmQ_JA.  Although my channel is just hatched and is a fledgling, I will keep feeding it and encourage it to take flight soon.