Sunday, March 29, 2009

You think that's freedom you're breathing....?













I would like to draw some attention if I may, to the high esteem and somewhat overinflated value we place on that concept our society calls 'freedom'. Most of us in the west point to it as a great icon. Something to be held up and displayed in contrast to other countries' and their forms of governance. Especially those ones that happen to have a single totalitarian leader or others that we might label oppressive like the old favorite 'communism' or the new kid on the block 'taliban'. These regimes in their practical form have exhibited quite repressive ways of dealing with their people and we are quick to point out their faults. What I would like to explore here however is our own capitalist system's apparent infallibility, we are the free ones after all ... aren't we?
With this question in mind I'd like to draw a little analogy with a scene of one of my favorite flicks The Matrix. The point where Morpheus is fighting Neo in a digital dojo and after Morpheus has given Neo a decent hammering. During the pause as Neo is getting himself together for a second round Morpheus takes the opportunity to lean in close and ask "you think that's air your breathing right now?"
I love this movie the more I see it.
The point I try to make here is that with all the impulses and drives within us. With all the exterior drives and expectations from our society and environment I have to ask. How much freedom do I really have?
Let's look at some of those exterior drivers: The valued freedom to move and travel... as long as I can pay for the trip or for the car to get there. The freedom to have my own castle and plot of land... after I shackle myself to that bank for half a life. The freedom to give my kids a better education... for an additional price. The freedom to have that stuff I need now... forever linked to internal drivers like: my sense of value and meaning within my society. These always come at a cost and usually with interest!
All of this compounded by an ever present media telling us exactly what we need, what real value is, what meaning is and effectively what my purpose is in this life. Am I building enough of a Matrix picture here to show where I'm coming from?
How much of our lives are spent making sure these valued ideas mentioned above become practical?
Is this time spent wisely?
How much do we wander through our lives oblivious to the undertones. To the constant caressing invite telling us we require more?
How much does this constant barrage push us into our personalised individual space and detatch us from our community?
How strong is the drive for comfort that it causes us to push aside the needs of our neighbours?
Perhapse it's time to wake up to what's happening to us and our society and stop going into debt to buy yet another 'blue pill'. (ooh look another Matrix analogy)

Please forgive my broad brush strokes. I know I only scratch the surface of this issue.

Let's go out with some more music appropriate for the theme.

Freedom by Rage Against The Machine.