Freedom: Do Any of Us Truly Have It?
Freedom: Do Any of Us Truly Have It?
What is the definition of freedom? According to Merriam-Webster, it is defined as:
"The quality or state of being free: such as
a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.
b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another: Independence."
In America, our forefathers fought England for their freedom, but did they truly gain it? No. They merely traded one master for another... The King of England for a government that would one day restrict its citizens more than the King of England ever did. From 1763-1775, the British passed a series of laws that would slowly bring colonists to the boiling point that would amount to the Revolutionary War and the forging of the Declaration of Independence. Taxes were not well enforced before 1763, when they began to be enforced more. The tax rate that started the war was a mere 3%! I might also add that the Colonies had no representation in Parliament, further fueling their ire.(1)
After the war, the Declaration of Independence was signed, and our Constitution and government were established. But representation was only for land owning men. Therefore women (about half the population), indigenous people (around 100,000 known within the colonies) and African Americans (a quarter of the population) weren't really seen as citizens, and they had no representation.(2) Oppression in any form is evil, and the hypocrisy of our forefathers is commonly unmentioned. So, even after the Revolution, over half of the population remained without a voice, or rights.
The oppressed have made many small gains since, such as the end of slavery, women's rights, worker's rights, and ending segregation, yet somehow, oppression still exists today. Why is this so, in this day and age? When oppression exists, true freedom is not possible.
But when have humans really been free? We have always had constraint in choice and action, and been beholden to some form of government, at least within the pages of history we have been given.
From tribal domination, to feudalism, to monarchy, to empires, to our present situation, the driving factors have always been oppression and domination. They have become almost a human tradition. In the beginning, it truly may have been the best way to thrive when the environment was lacking as a means to secure enough resources, but that way of life evolved into endless greed, which spawned a plethora of problems. Today we have the means to provide all we need regardless of the environment we live in, and even change our environment to a more prosperous one.
The only people that have had a taste of freedom throughout history are the elites, but even they were enslaved to the pursuit of resources, and today, money. They have many responsibilities to tend to in order to keep the money in their hands and grow it. In the past they have had to marry for money or political purposes, and live sheltered lives. None of us have ever truly been free.
We are enslaved to the system we've created, either through premeditated malevolence, or as a system that has grown out of control by the people acting only within its limits and seeing only goals which that way of living has presented us, but most likely a mixture of both.
There is a way out, that frees us all: We need to create a new, unlimited system. We need to shatter ceilings, break boxes, and open our minds collectively to unlimit humanity. The level of freedom we have the power and technology to create today has never been possible before. We can bring each person on Earth home grown food, clean water, shelter, free sustainable power, and a free and open internet. Instead of working for money, a human construct of control, to survive, wasting our lives, we can focus on cleaning up the planet, making the world a better place for all, developing new technologies, exploring our curiosities and passions, and bonding with our loved ones.
I know, this goes against everything you know and have been taught, but to cling to it for that alone is insanity. It's incredibly clear that the system we were indoctrinated to embrace is not ideal, even one of the least ideal possibilities. Imagine the potential of humanity in a world such as the one I describe. Every person would have the means to achieve their full potential, and everyone would live a fulfilling life, even the elite, who obviously don't have true fulfillment either.
Imagine the world we could have if Nikola Tesla's free unlimited energy had been allowed to be given to humanity, as he intended? Every act of oppression limits our collective potential. And one person's excess is another's starvation, so imagine the countless people who could have contributed to society throughout history but were unable to do so because of oppression...
Many people will say these ideas are insane, and reject them due to the brain's tendency to reject something that goes against what they "know" (cognitive dissonance) but in reality these ideas are sane in an insane world. We do the same things over and over again and expect different results. That is the very definition of insanity.
I believe the majority of the world is ready for a drastic change in how we do things, even if many don't know they need it. Our planet is destroyed more and more daily due to the tunnel-visioned, greedy people behind the large corporations who seek only profit, regardless of what it does to the planet and the people. If they only knew how truly rich they could be if they let go of the concept of money... Richer and more successful and fulfilled than they could have ever conceived before...
To create this world, we need to make everyone understand that true fulfillment is only possible when we all have all we need. We are all essentially the same, made of the same substance. Any of our physical traits, nationalities, and sexual orientations are irrelevant. Education needs to be better. Empathy needs to be nurtured. We can't fight fire with fire. We need to fight it with water. We need to fight hate with love. We need to fight ignorance with intelligence.
This system is responsible for all of the world's horrors: starvation, war, murder, rape, violence, oppression, racism, sexism, lack, slavery, pollution, diseases, premature death, ignorance, evil, etc. There is only one way to kill it, and that is to break free and work outside of its constraints. We need to unite, not as citizens of individual countries, but as world citizens to work for this future. It is either this or destruction. The time has come to pick a side and fight for it with everything in you... Will you fight for freedom or oppression? The Light Side or the Dark Side? Good or Evil? Failure to choose is picking the side of the oppressor.
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Infinite Love to All -Serendellion
Sources:
1) history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/parliamentary-taxation
2)www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/early-republic/essays/early-republic
