SHOW US YOUR KEYS (uk)

Keys, to me represent the delicate balance between freedom and security, which has been an issue that our politicians have been trying to juggle with of late. They unlock doors and provide access to new experiences and they also lock out the undesirable.

Each person must discover their own equilibrium based on what their "essence" is. I value my freedom, so I try to keep the things I have to carry to a minimum. My keypurse keeps my money and all my cards so that I am never caught out, but I neither am I weighed down by a purse as well a coin pouch. This way, I can just grab the one thing and go whenever I want.

Almost everything I own is either red or purple, but lately, I'm also wearing a lot more blue so it might be time for a change once I find a blue equivalent. For me, this keyring represents the balance between the freedom to just get up and go at the spur of a moment without running around the house making sure I have everything I need "just in case" and the security of always having my most essential cards with me if I do need to buy something whilst I am out.

I keep my car keys in the house since I only drive once a week to go to orchestra as I can't take my double bass on public transport. The black keyring on these keys have the phone number and the address of my local garage and the silver keyring comes from my insurers. It offers a £10 reward to anyone who finds them and hands it in. They will then contact me if this happens and arrange for me to pick them up. Again, I see this as a balance between freedom and security, freedom to get in the car, freedom from baggage but also security of knowing I've done what I can "in case of an emergency" and the rest is up to chance/karma/god.

It seems to me that the government's obsession with the two on both sides of the Atlantic arises from a lack of understanding of the two. The freest people I know are also the most secure, but they don't get their security from having material things, they get it from a deep confidence in their identity. They are free from attachment and free from aversion. These people also take responsibility for their freedom because they recognise the preciousness of that freedom. Freedom is a key that must be used carefully so that we do not lock ourselves in the prison of security.