"No man is an Island" - John Donne
There are a lot of people who like to talk about freedom and the quest for liberty. They spout about self-governance, independence, voluntarism and freedom from oppression from the big bad governments or the tax offices within.
There is no freedom, there is no liberty, there is no entitlement.
What I find is that those who are complaining the most about their oppression are often the ones who have benefited the heaviest from the rules that the evil government has imposed or, the tax breaks granted their businesses. They are also the first to call the police when their house is burgled or car stolen.
Everyone is already free.
You are free, walk away. Find a little corner of the world and do your best to survive. No? This is the problem with those making claims and drives for freedom. They want to be free on their terms and with all of the luxuries the world has to offer. Don't they see, that is the cage.
You cannot be free and drive a Lamborghini as the more you own, the more you are tied to the world you claim to want to break away from. Will you make your own tires, mine and refine your own fuel? What about all of the underpaid workers in those far off lands who risk life and limb under torturous conditions to bring you your flat screen TV? What happened to the do no harm motto of the voluntarists? Does your self-proclaimed freedom depend on the enslavement of others?
This is the problem with the narrow view of what people call free as it is largely only centered around financial freedom but again, don't they see? That financial freedom is still bound by the shackles of those who make the rules, the same governments, the same conglomerates. Financial freedom is just another form of enslavement, where one gets to buy better curtains to cover the iron bars on the cell window.
Those fighting for freedom and liberty are fighting a losing battle for they are fighting for the individual, themselves. But, if one is caged, we are all caged and no one can ever be truly free. We have a massive amount of reliance on each other and unless you were born alone, raised yourself, fended for yourself, taught yourself, took responsibility for yourself entirely, you have a debt. You can never be free with a debt.
The debt is not financial, it is a debt to the community and to the future communities who will in habit the ground on which you walk now. We will be gone, it will be theirs yet, how do we treat it? How do you plan on becoming debt free?
How will you repay those that have slaved in the past to grant you your current position? How will you repay that government and all of those many taxpayers who made the decisions necessary to fund your education? How will you repay the family, friend and the stranger who showed you grace and gave you their hand in your many times of need? Are you still debt free?
There is no freedom but what exists is always the same, responsibility.
Searching for freedom always leads back to this very point. We are only free to do one thing and that is take the responsibility for ourselves to act the best we can, to improve the best we can or, like many, pretend we are an island and maximize ourselves the best we can. There are many maximizers claiming to be freedom makers who in their quest for personal freedom, oppress others.
What lies do you have to tell that makes your treatment of others fit into your world view of freedom? What propaganda do you deliver to your audience to manipulate them into thinking your work is for them, that is in their best interest? What conspiracies do you play a role in, what crimes do you commit, what secrets do you bury to look into the mirror and say, I am an island and I do no harm? How different are you from the government conspirators you claim to uncover?
Those who are working toward their freedom, if it isn't toward a global freedom, you cannot achieve it. But, you can justify your actions, you can limit your concept of freedom and instead say, freedom for me or perhaps my group and leave it at that....
Limit the concept of Freedom? Really? How can that be freedom if the very definition we choose has limitations imposed upon it?
I wonder how all of those people who are justifying the harm they do to others as a means to an end feel, when they step back and see how far down the slope they have slid? Are they sure that end is justified? How much suffering of others will it require to achieve their goals? How much of their goals are tied to a financial position? When will they have enough to be free? They will consume it all, no different to any other corporation or power hungry politician except, on a much smaller, petty, uninspired level.
Take that big step back and think about your ideals, take a look in that mirror and see how well your actions match them and then take another look at your personal definition of liberty. Will you change the meaning to fit your current behaviors, or take personal responsibility and work toward being truly debt free.
To be free of the monetary system requires more than a blockchain and a new form of currency, it requires a community. A community is not made up of lone islands, it is made up of the network of bridges that join them.
Free write over. You are free to go.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
One has to start somewhere . Small group and grow from there but not to leave it at that . All journeys start with that small group , an Idea , a movement all the way to a revolution if needed .
Steemit has many of the same principles . The Idea and foundation is already there . You just have to make up the network of bridges . You start out with basically nothing . The only requirement is work at it with no welfare or anything owed to you . You build your community from the ground up on nothing more than your self worth to the community .
I have learned that people are going to be people . change the name and faces , still the same people
Even here we have the scammers , plagerizieres , the greedy and so on . The givers and the takers . We also have the movers and the shakers . Overall it's hopeful and disappointing at the same time . It doesn't guarantee anything but the opportunity . The opportunity of a peice of freedom
If we can't even operate at a small level, how to solve for the large issues. I get that but, ...we can't even operate at a small level.
yep.
No we Cant !
. That should be in capitol print . I do have hope and have to try . if we lose that I don't know
On the positive side I have seen small groups work but only for short periods of time
I have no Idea why we are wired to only pull together during emergency or when left with no other choice
If people could only understand that if you take care of little stuff big things will take care of themselves . Have to start somewhere and it's easier to start with the small things .
I started using speech to text this is working out pretty well . Being that I can't spell or type . Typing do to my hands
what program are you using? I would like to try to try one to see if it helps me get my thoughts out better or just becomes more of a mash.
microsoft . it's easier for me just started with it today . if your a fast typer might not be worth it
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4042244
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17208/windows-10-use-speech-recognition
I am a terrible typist. I use about 5 fingers randomly and crush my backspace. A lot of content doesn't mean easy typing ;)
Will have a look later
you do touch one one thing - that a lot of people that are anti establishment, libertarian, etc, only choose to be so because they know that it is a popular movement and they can get a platform, be heard, etc..
But onto the genuine cases of people that genuinely believe that stuff - I think it's a symptom of overreach by governments and laws. No doubt we need some level of governing for society as a whole to function, but for far too long, that governing has been inefficient, inaccurate, and quite often corrupt - politicians profiting at the cost of the people. When stuff like that happens, people tend to want to swing in the complete opposite direction - which is also not an answer.
We really just need incremental improvements - a culture of cleaning things up bit by bit - but the problem with that, is while you're cleaning up rot on one side of the tree,the other side of the tree is rotting away twice as fast...
I've been feeling for a while that Society will get worse before it gets better.. I think we're likely going to see a major international event very soon - probably a war - there's too many spotfires going on right now. Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, US, UK, Australia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Palestine - all these countries have been involved in some level of conflict, or more than one conflict, within the past year or so.
World War 2 is almost like the event in which everything essentially got reset - most of our modern history is perceived to be things that happened since WW2.. Perhaps our next reset is just around the corner..
Is it the government that is inherently corrupt or people within? Aren't they themselves largely products of our own societies. They were raised in our neighbourhoods, went to our schools etc. Does this mean that if we were in their positions, we would be corrupt too? This is the issue for those fighting against it as often when given the opportunity, they are no different.
Yeah, the patterns we choose tend to eat themselves and create large inequalities. Extremes will always lead to conflicts and when large enough, the system will reset to begin again. If only we learned a little more about building community rather than just the capital technology to sell.
It's a bit of both. There's enough corruption within society to harbour corruption at the top, and those that aren't corrupt are apathetic to it all and feel helpless, or are too busy trying to get by in their own life
I sometimes wonder if the economy is engineered in such a way that we all have just enough to survive, but not too much so that we don't have to be preoccupied with our day to day situations to work towards making everything work out, because if enough of us aren't preoccupied, you might get more that find the time for activism..
here is one of them that looks at it a bit.
https://steemit.com/conspiracy/@tarazkp/always-enough-never-enough
I think this is close to truth. This is the debt cycle. I have written something about this a long time ago, I will see if I can find it.
Ha I also covered it as well
https://busy.org/@farq/the-debt-trap-how-society-makes-you-want-things-and-credit-cards-can-ruin-you
I'm not sure I ever want to go - after reading your writing. It makes me think too much. I really like what you have to say.
I think about this every day. And I've yet to come to peace with it. I think our societies so much now tend to think only in terms of money, the monetary system, not social debts and other wise. I think you're very right about that. We ignore. We find justifications and ignore. Some outright ignore without even bothering with justifications. And it's not just the common devils we blame either. We're all guilty in some way.
'But, if one is caged, we are all caged and no one can ever be truly free.'
It's true. It's the ultimate truth. A very hard one to tackle too. Worth it, but hard. I can't say I know the best way to go about living to change that, other than the first step of admitting it and being honestly aware. That's where I'm at right now. And it's such a heavy reality to take in. Hopeful with lots of possibility, but still very sobering when admitted in full truth.
I don't know either but what ever we are doing now, isn't it.
So much truth in what you are saying here, I have given lip service to Freedom, but when I landed here on SteemIt, only then did I realize how rarely I have had the chance to "practice".
My mind cries out for someone (else) to fix things from time-to-time, it is unusual to think we have to solve our own problems.
lol , it's been an eye opener.
Steemit has opened my eyes to both hope and disappointment. We have/(had?) such a chance to bring something fundamentally better to the masses and it is just draining away into a narrow set of pockets. I don't get it... there really is no end to greed when those who fight against mimic the 'enemy'.
But, what can you expect from humans, we have done it for 2 million years give or take, why think we would change anything now? I go through stages where I think we can do it and others where I think 'screw it, power down and buy a few other coins instead'....yet, still powering up.
Humans are a frustrating mixture. I'm guilty of that. Influencing people is harder than herding cats.
The needs of man are infinite. The abilities of man are limited. There is no chain that fastens ability to need, need would pull humanity as a heavy anchor to the bottom of a dark ocean of want. To describe freedom as such a chain would be a distortion of the meaning.
one of the best texts I found on steemit today, makes you think, we owe everything to the people that raised us, taught us what we are and know today. Also "In a democracy people get the leaders they deserve." --Joseph de Maistre
✨ upvoted & resteemed
thank you very much. And yes, people complain about the government who are products of their own communities.
We need a community of united likeminded individuals with the same goals and vision that is the only way to achieve the freedom we so desire
Until man understands that it's not about the government, then man hasn't started living.
Even God said
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN OUR HANDS,
Some just feel better having people to blame
Kind of controversial but true........
We, by nature, are either selfish or caring. The selfish person will see freedom through the individual lenses, the caring person will see it as a community or maybe even global responsibility, as you've remarked very well.
A parable about selfish thinking that suites well to how individual freedom looks like: a man has an apartment in a block. His apartment looks awesome, just as he wanted to, and he has a great family too. Downstairs an expensive car awaits for him and he has the job he wished for. Except... the block he stays in is old, every utility breaks often, and at any earth quake it can go down. Yet the man is happy and doesn't care about what's going on around his apartment. In his apartment he is free from the outside world.
I don't know if you realize this, but you are making the same basic argument that Thomas Hobbes made in 1651. It is one that most people in favor of liberty are familiar with and have already rejected. If you are really trying to convince people that freedom is bad you will need to do better than use arguments that are almost 400 years old.
For how people comprehend the terms freedom and liberty today your Free Write Over is very accurate and telling of society today. Freedom has never been economically free as one must self educate which takes time.
Balance is what societies hinge upon. A shared vision that provides fair, just and moral equality of opportunity is the best environment that a society can strive for. It is the struggle that makes it an ideal challenge and the failures that make it worth it to struggle.
We are a subjugated life form. We are subject to birth, and subject to the consequences of our actions and we are subjected to death. In the end our choices are subjected to our education and vision. This is why the one law, because compassion for our subjugation requires that we all do our share to paddle in the boat.