What experience or epiphany have you had about your own sense of personal freedom?

Are you the type of person who just wants to be you or do you cave to societal or familial pressures?

I had an epiphany at age 14 when discovered that my mother and my preacher weren’t always correct about everything, which kind of shocked me because I was used to being submissive in both of those situations. At that point I decided to do my own research and draw my own conclusions.

For me, that personal epiphany led me on a much different path than my peers or other family members, basically it showed me a path to happiness and freedom that I’d rarely if ever felt before.

Now I could care less what anyone thinks about my choices, which are harmless, but often people seem surprised that I truly do not care what others think about anything – it’s liberating. I don’t do credit cards, I don’t have children, I don’t keep up with the Joneses, etc…

What has your experience been with this, or do you feel oppressed or judged?