How free are we?
Our country celebrated it's 67th year of independence. While there was more noise about the economy struggling to keep pace, bureaucracy setting in at every level, I asked myself a fundamental question. Are we really free? Can we do what we want after overthrowing foreigners from our land? While I'm not a huge supporter of the British rule, one must look beyond such naive questions before trying to understand what I'm really trying to explain.
Most of my thoughts which I want to deliberate upon occur when I'm on the move. Don't ask me why, it just is. I guess I should make it a priority to write more on the move since I believe I'm on a creative high then. Anyway, I saw a double yellow line on the road, which means no crossing the line for overtaking and it must be treated as an effective median. I'm a sucker for traffic rules and obediently slowed down to let some other moron take advantage of the empty space on the other side of the road. As he sped past me, I really wanted to take the matter to the cop standing nearby, who seemed candid about the whole no overtaking rule. Alas, I was helpless. With the culture of acceptance that has become such a natural part of our minds, I moved on and reached my destination safely, praying I wouldn't come across more such violators on road. It really got me thinking as to how free we really are. I mean, just so that we can live like 'civilized' people, there are these rules, boundaries and lines that are drawn in almost all aspects of life. They may be good for the society at large, but when thought about deeply, I think we really need to question our freedom as human beings in the first place.
It has always intrigued me as to how we consider ourselves better than other animals which share our resources on this planet. It's funny that we control most of it and give back very little. There's no democracy in the lion kingdom is there? Yet, wouldn't they survive perfectly without our absence? By letting them be and not offering unnecessary aid in terms of pooling in money from corporates and other big names, things would have been much simpler. Survival of the fittest probably put us in this place. So now that we are 'free', what can we really do with it? Can one dance one the roads without a care in the world? Can one just abandon work on a Monday and set off to find himself? Nope, we're very far from such situations.
Rules, rules and more rules will follow with time and there is very little for us to do but bog down to them. We are proud that we have found ways and means to overcome natural forces to fulfill our own desires, thinking little about the consequences. We fight wars to gain freedom in the name of humanity, religion and what not. Think about it; when a child is born, his/her life from a larger perspective is determined by it's elders. While it's career path might not be so quickly decided, it's told to dress up in a particular way, expected to follow the same religion as the rest in the family, etc., In a world of corruption, money, selfishness, we tend to forget that this might all be just an illusion. By taking lives too seriously and by trying to put a system in place; a system designed by our own people, we think we are free.
But humans are not free at all. This whole concept of societal living, obligations, money, power, capitalism, etc., is leaving us more chained than ever.
Most of my thoughts which I want to deliberate upon occur when I'm on the move. Don't ask me why, it just is. I guess I should make it a priority to write more on the move since I believe I'm on a creative high then. Anyway, I saw a double yellow line on the road, which means no crossing the line for overtaking and it must be treated as an effective median. I'm a sucker for traffic rules and obediently slowed down to let some other moron take advantage of the empty space on the other side of the road. As he sped past me, I really wanted to take the matter to the cop standing nearby, who seemed candid about the whole no overtaking rule. Alas, I was helpless. With the culture of acceptance that has become such a natural part of our minds, I moved on and reached my destination safely, praying I wouldn't come across more such violators on road. It really got me thinking as to how free we really are. I mean, just so that we can live like 'civilized' people, there are these rules, boundaries and lines that are drawn in almost all aspects of life. They may be good for the society at large, but when thought about deeply, I think we really need to question our freedom as human beings in the first place.
It has always intrigued me as to how we consider ourselves better than other animals which share our resources on this planet. It's funny that we control most of it and give back very little. There's no democracy in the lion kingdom is there? Yet, wouldn't they survive perfectly without our absence? By letting them be and not offering unnecessary aid in terms of pooling in money from corporates and other big names, things would have been much simpler. Survival of the fittest probably put us in this place. So now that we are 'free', what can we really do with it? Can one dance one the roads without a care in the world? Can one just abandon work on a Monday and set off to find himself? Nope, we're very far from such situations.
Rules, rules and more rules will follow with time and there is very little for us to do but bog down to them. We are proud that we have found ways and means to overcome natural forces to fulfill our own desires, thinking little about the consequences. We fight wars to gain freedom in the name of humanity, religion and what not. Think about it; when a child is born, his/her life from a larger perspective is determined by it's elders. While it's career path might not be so quickly decided, it's told to dress up in a particular way, expected to follow the same religion as the rest in the family, etc., In a world of corruption, money, selfishness, we tend to forget that this might all be just an illusion. By taking lives too seriously and by trying to put a system in place; a system designed by our own people, we think we are free.
But humans are not free at all. This whole concept of societal living, obligations, money, power, capitalism, etc., is leaving us more chained than ever.
Comments
Most of us like to believe that we live in a cage and hence we are unable to reach our maximum potential. While in reality, we are too scared to quit our cozy little jobs and the warmth and comfort of our homes. If we are able to overcome that fear, then we are truly free.