Post by Paetar on Mar 23, 2009 17:54:49 GMT -5
I didn't really know where to post this, sry Grape if I missed.
ok, yes I'll start. See this as an essay:
The Illusion of Freedom
We are told that we live in the "free country. " In a so-called free world. But this is far from truth. As far away as possible.
See, through socialization, we become SLAVES.
We are supposed to "think for ourselves." Yes, we can - but only in boundaries we are taught. Our parents, peers group, school and mass media heavily influence us - mostly unconsciously - and our thoughts. We think distorted. Little children start begging for that new toy they saw on TV: WHY? Because they see two or three little kids having fun with it. Or the toy is described in a way that makes it look like a fun thing to have. Subliminal messaging? Wrong. They don't even need that.
All you have been doing up until reading this post is a taught reaction. Simple stimulus-reaction pattern has been following us through our whole life (for you not so skilled in psychology, it means that how are we taught to react to something follows us our whole life). The other day I exploded with rage. I wanted to kill someone. I never felt this way before. What made it? A couple of "friends" saying "Heil Hitler" and "Sieg Heil" and waving their right hand around in fascist manner.
To them, it was fun and light. To me, it symbolized hatred to other race, unnecessary deaths of millions of people guilty of nothing. It represented the war that separated me from my home country, it was the reason I had to spend 13 years in a totally different (and not always friendly) environment. (Again, for you not so knowledgeable in history, google the Serbo-Croatian war.) All my life I've been taught that nacism is something awful and to be banished and punished. Hell, I even think it may be the reason of my dislike of german language. And these bastards go around hailing because they weren't taught that it is bad. I mean, they read that the bastard was responsible for deaths of millions innocent men, women and children - but no one taught them the despise and hatred that I've been taught.
That is why I say that the freedom is only an illusion; technically you have the freedom to do anything your heart desires. But in reality your actions are defined by beliefs and behaviours you have been taught up until now. Look at this: would you rather eat at McDonald's or some unknown fast-food? Majority would say McDonald's; they (you?) were taught that it's ok, because "the society" does it too. People older than you considered it OK, and your child brain hard-wired it into yourself "Well, they must be right. Otherwise they would be dead by now." I know it sounds stupid, but in your child-like unconscious brain it makes perfect sense. That behavior DIDN'T kill them. So it must be good.
Another example is smoking. So many people smoke; because they have seen older people (older=more experienced in a child's eyes) enjoy cigarette, they think it's a good thing. AND it "makes them older" 'cause they've seen only older people smoking - not younger than them (although in today's world this is changing). And you all know that the one thing a child wants the most is to grow up.
Finally, this brings me up to my point: How do you break free?
Truth is, without some rules already established in our lives, we get confused a lot about different things. "Should I or shouldn't I? They say that I should but they are lying to me... but if I don't I'm facing terrible consequences...." Some rules are good indeed; just think about them and decide consciously if it's good for you or if it's just the society's programming.
You can achieve a certain degree of freedom by identifying behaviors you do every day, asking yourself "Why?" "What belief forces me to do this?" and (if you decide that this behavior will stay) "How can I make this behavior even better than now?" If the behavior/belief (and they're the same for this purpose, because the outer action is important) is useless, drop it. If it's good, keep it.
Decide on your moral standpoints on several moral taboos/issues (left/right political views, euthanasia, homosexuality, religion, you name it). Decide for yourself. What you think is right. And defend that belief. Look; the other people aren't free and never will be. You might as well count on it and use it to help yourself. I know it sounds cruel; however in this world survives only that one who forces his truth on others. You will never know the REAL truth; so pick the truth that serves you the best.
ok, yes I'll start. See this as an essay:
The Illusion of Freedom
We are told that we live in the "free country. " In a so-called free world. But this is far from truth. As far away as possible.
See, through socialization, we become SLAVES.
We are supposed to "think for ourselves." Yes, we can - but only in boundaries we are taught. Our parents, peers group, school and mass media heavily influence us - mostly unconsciously - and our thoughts. We think distorted. Little children start begging for that new toy they saw on TV: WHY? Because they see two or three little kids having fun with it. Or the toy is described in a way that makes it look like a fun thing to have. Subliminal messaging? Wrong. They don't even need that.
All you have been doing up until reading this post is a taught reaction. Simple stimulus-reaction pattern has been following us through our whole life (for you not so skilled in psychology, it means that how are we taught to react to something follows us our whole life). The other day I exploded with rage. I wanted to kill someone. I never felt this way before. What made it? A couple of "friends" saying "Heil Hitler" and "Sieg Heil" and waving their right hand around in fascist manner.
To them, it was fun and light. To me, it symbolized hatred to other race, unnecessary deaths of millions of people guilty of nothing. It represented the war that separated me from my home country, it was the reason I had to spend 13 years in a totally different (and not always friendly) environment. (Again, for you not so knowledgeable in history, google the Serbo-Croatian war.) All my life I've been taught that nacism is something awful and to be banished and punished. Hell, I even think it may be the reason of my dislike of german language. And these bastards go around hailing because they weren't taught that it is bad. I mean, they read that the bastard was responsible for deaths of millions innocent men, women and children - but no one taught them the despise and hatred that I've been taught.
That is why I say that the freedom is only an illusion; technically you have the freedom to do anything your heart desires. But in reality your actions are defined by beliefs and behaviours you have been taught up until now. Look at this: would you rather eat at McDonald's or some unknown fast-food? Majority would say McDonald's; they (you?) were taught that it's ok, because "the society" does it too. People older than you considered it OK, and your child brain hard-wired it into yourself "Well, they must be right. Otherwise they would be dead by now." I know it sounds stupid, but in your child-like unconscious brain it makes perfect sense. That behavior DIDN'T kill them. So it must be good.
Another example is smoking. So many people smoke; because they have seen older people (older=more experienced in a child's eyes) enjoy cigarette, they think it's a good thing. AND it "makes them older" 'cause they've seen only older people smoking - not younger than them (although in today's world this is changing). And you all know that the one thing a child wants the most is to grow up.
Finally, this brings me up to my point: How do you break free?
Truth is, without some rules already established in our lives, we get confused a lot about different things. "Should I or shouldn't I? They say that I should but they are lying to me... but if I don't I'm facing terrible consequences...." Some rules are good indeed; just think about them and decide consciously if it's good for you or if it's just the society's programming.
You can achieve a certain degree of freedom by identifying behaviors you do every day, asking yourself "Why?" "What belief forces me to do this?" and (if you decide that this behavior will stay) "How can I make this behavior even better than now?" If the behavior/belief (and they're the same for this purpose, because the outer action is important) is useless, drop it. If it's good, keep it.
Decide on your moral standpoints on several moral taboos/issues (left/right political views, euthanasia, homosexuality, religion, you name it). Decide for yourself. What you think is right. And defend that belief. Look; the other people aren't free and never will be. You might as well count on it and use it to help yourself. I know it sounds cruel; however in this world survives only that one who forces his truth on others. You will never know the REAL truth; so pick the truth that serves you the best.
