I agree with much of what you said in your original post; however, I picked out the above phrases to highlight an eye-opener that I've recently realized--granted, I'm still new to the whole payment exchange process--that led me to believe there are already third parties involved that seem to be the gatekeepers to the freedom you speak of.

For example, I just ordered my first hardware wallet, and let's say when I get it that I don't ever want to use the company who made it to handle my transactions--or any other company or that matter... What can I do? How can I single-handedly send you some Bitcoin without that or another third party being the middleman used to propagate that transaction to the rest of the Bitcoin network? Is there a way I can sweep my mining proceeds into my hardware wallet and buy something online without involving a third party? I'd love to know a simple way to do this.

Also, if Bitcoin isn't the digital equivalent of handing someone precious metals, then aren't we still headed the direction of a cashless society with Big Brother watching, tracking, and data mining our every move? This does not sound like freedom to me.