The letter to the Colossians is all about the preeminence and sufficiency of Christ in all things.
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; And you (Believers) are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:9 (My parenthesis)

Chapter 2 of Colossians speaks of the Believer's freedom in Christ. The Apostle Paul tells of our freedom from vain philosophy; from the judgment of men; from improper worship and from the doctrine of men.

Freedom from vain philosophy:
"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Vs.8 (Our opening verse tells why!)

Paul knows of vain philosophy for as he tells the Galatians 1:13-14, "For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers."
(But God! laid hold of Saul of Tarsus and transformed him into Paul, the great apostle! And how grateful we are.)

As Paul warned Timothy, so he warns us,
"O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge -- which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith..." 1 Timothy
6:20-21

Freedom from the judgment of men:
"And when you were dead in your transgressions and uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions." Vs 13 "Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath." Vs. 16

As Romans 14:16-17 tells us,
"Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; For the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

Freedom from improper worship:
"Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit, and not holding fast to the Head..." Vs. 18-19 The Amplified Bible.

In Romans 8:7 we see,
"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."

Freedom from the doctrine of men:
"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations, 'Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle'.according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." Vs 20-23

'If you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, WHY.do you subject yourselves to doctrines of men?'
This is the question Paul asks of the Galatians, "But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?" Galatians 4:9 (The answer of course is no!)

Now Paul takes us to Chapter 3:1-3 to tell of the Believer's position in Christ!
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
Hallelujah and Amen!