A Year of Sundays: The Fourteenth Sunday (4/6/25) – Liberation Week

What a week. The theme? Liberation—a word that carries as many meanings as there are people to define it. This week taught me that freedom isn’t a monolith; it’s a mosaic of cultural, personal, and emotional layers.

In Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, Morrison and Conaway (2006) remind us that “understanding cultural norms isn’t just polite—it’s pivotal to recognizing how liberation is expressed across the world” (p. 47). What feels like freedom in one context might feel like constraint in another. This resonated deeply as I navigated a week of clashing expectations and personal upheavals.

Amid the chaos, I clung to my affirmations like lifelines. One revelation anchored me: I am liberated to choose my reactions—and my proactions. This aligns with Viktor Frankl’s (1946) timeless wisdom in Man’s Search for Meaning: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our attitude” (p. 66). Liberation, then, isn’t just about external circumstances; it’s about internal sovereignty.

But how do we cultivate that sovereignty? Research suggests two paths:

1. Cognitive Reframing: Neff’s (2011) work on self-compassion shows that reinterpreting stressors as opportunities for growth fosters emotional liberation (p. 89).

2. Cultural Fluidity: As Matsumoto and Hwang (2013) note, adapting behaviors across contexts—while staying true to core values—enhances a sense of autonomy (Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(1), 24).

This week, I practiced both. When frustration flared, I asked: Is this a chain I can unshackle? Sometimes, the answer was simply shifting my perspective. Other times, it meant setting boundaries—a liberation ritual in itself.

So here’s my invitation: Define your own liberation. Is it the courage to say no? The audacity to rest? The choice to respond with curiosity, not defensiveness? Share your mosaic piece below.

References

Frankl, V. E. (1946). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.

Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. C. (2013). Assessing cross-cultural competence: A review of available tests. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(1), 24–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113502891

Morrison, T., & Conaway, W. A. (2006). Kiss, bow, or shake hands (2nd ed.). Adams Media.

Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. William Morrow.

P.S. My liberation flavor this week? Dancing alone in my kitchen to 90s R&B. Your turn. 🎶