Buddhists seek freedom as well. Zen Buddhism appears to be in part a reaction to the highly formalized, traditional, self-conscious Japanese culture.
Christianity, Islam, and I believe Hinduism also arose and were cultivated across various epochs in which various empires were in their peak of violence and/or decay, in which much of the population was profoundly constrained. Like all great religions, they eventually became highly formalized and authoritarian over time, but if one digs to the core of those bodies of thought, one finds that same impulse towards freedom and a general inversion of decadent, destructive values of empire.
Buddhism does seem to remain the more timeless of the religions. Mahayana Buddhism anyways. There are those inevitable calcified, authoritarian outgrowths of Buddhism that involve ritual and adherence, but Buddhism properly practiced is probably the best component for spiritual understanding and highly relevant and effective for overcoming modern madness. It is also highly adaptable; it's almost like the scientific method of spiritual thought in that way.
