To free oneself from the influence of imposed ideas or beliefs, it is necessary to conduct a deep inner review of one’s views and principles that have been woven throughout one's life.

Liberation Through Self-Reflection

To free oneself from the influence of imposed ideas or beliefs, it is necessary to conduct a deep inner review of one’s views and principles that have been woven throughout one's life. This means not merely rejecting or denying existing notions, but engaging in a thorough reconsideration and transformation of them. As noted in one source, “A person gradually incorporates entire chapters and pages of others’ views into some inner personal handbook. These views die, no longer corresponding to the current state of his soul, but to something long past. Yet he repeats them year after year because he lacks the courage or time to revise his inventory of worldviews” (source: link txt). This emphasizes the importance of awareness and the critical reassessment of beliefs that were accepted without proper analysis.

Another approach suggests gradually letting go of what has lost its relevance. In a quote from a different source, it is stated: “If we imagine that we move freely, while in reality we are held by tens and tens of unseen threads... the first step towards that inner freedom is the effort to liberate oneself... If, in the end, you wish to possess nothing, to be free of everything, start by offering to God what you do not need. ... And little by little, by offering one by one the things that have become unnecessary to God, you will find yourself completely free of everything” (source: link txt). Although this discussion pertains to material things, the method of progressively abandoning the superfluous resonates well with the idea of freeing oneself from outdated or imposed ideas—gradually, step by step, releasing what hinders inner freedom.

Thus, the key to freeing oneself from the influence of established ideas lies in active, conscious self-awareness that enables a reassessment and transformation of habitual beliefs. One must be prepared for the long and challenging work of revising one’s internal “inventory” of ideas, letting go of everything that no longer aligns with the current state of the soul. This liberation begins with a personal choice and a sincere search for truth—one that is not imposed externally, but discovered through one's own free exploration of the world.

Supporting citation(s):
“First of all, we must understand the providential meaning of the freedom granted to us. We must accept it as a heavy gift, not only responding externally to it but allowing it to penetrate to the very depths of our spirit, using its light to reassess and examine all our usual and conventional views and customs.

If we are free from the influence of the state and authority, are we sufficiently liberated from the canon of beliefs, customs, and rules that we ourselves have created?

From early youth, a person gradually incorporates entire chapters and pages of foreign views into their inner personal handbook. These views become dead, no longer corresponding to the current state of their soul, but to something long past. Yet they repeat them year after year because they lack the courage or time to revise their inventory of worldviews” (source: link txt).

“If we imagine that we move freely, while in reality we are held by tens and tens of invisible threads of everything that surrounds us... the first step towards that inner freedom which will lead us to stability and peace is the effort to liberate oneself. You understand that this is not easy; it is a complete struggle, a long and gradual one, that must begin with simple tasks and conclude with complex ones. Saint John Chrysostom very clearly teaches us this when he says: if, in the end, you wish to possess nothing, to be free of everything, start by offering to God what you do not need. ... And little by little, by offering one after the other the things that have become unnecessary to God, you will find yourself completely free of everything” (source: link txt).