Are you the absolute master of your life?

Your life is yours in a real sense: you must look after it, decide, and respond. But you are not its absolute owner, as though you had given existence to yourself. Recognizing life as a gift does not take away freedom. It gives it responsibility. What is received is cared for, appreciated, and directed toward the good. Living as a creature does not make you less free. It reminds you that life deserves care, gratitude, and a direction that goes beyond the impulse of the moment.