Question:
Are we all born into slavery,..into a prison?
Clatty Mary
2010-12-22 06:47:55 UTC
When we are born,...are we born free?
Or are we born into slavery?
Are we given a "choice" as to whether we are willing to be governed by the State?
Are we asked in adulthood whether we are willing to be party to the status quo?
Do we really have any choice?

So, how then are we really free?

Can we freely choose to visit other countries, or do we have to ask permission, apply (beg / ask) for a licence (pass-port)?

Are we really free, or are we prisoners / slaves?

All thoughts welcome.
Ten answers:
Will
2010-12-22 07:11:57 UTC
Not that I believe such twaddle, but some years ago a noted "spiritualist" told me that in one of my previous lifetimes I was the the French philosopher J. J. Rousseau.



Who knew??



What was his/(my) famous quote... "Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.”



Your question cannot adequately be answered, Brother Gandhi. Of course you're free, and most assuredly you're not.



Look... It all depends on what you mean by the term "free." Idealized freedom requires total self sufficiency; and to the extent that those of us in urban society have requirements for doctors, farmers, and other forms of labour that enable us to live our normal lives, none of can rightly thought to be free. We've made a Faustian bargain with civilization, and to the extent that we rely on its comforts and luxuries we are made prisoners of them.



And while that might sound terrible, I ask, in all sincerity, what's the alternative? I for one do not relish the idea of trekking off to some god forsaken corner of the globe to reclaim my total freedom and live on tree bark and rain water.



Modern society exists because of a division of labour that allows us to maximize our potential in ways our "more free" ancestors could never have dreamed possible. So, to the extent that we've surrendered a large degree of freedom, we've also gained a greater degree of freedom as well.



We live on a crowded planet, and the result is that is everyone did as he pleased, whenever he pleased, the whole thing would come crashing down around our ears. To maximize our "freedom from" we've necessarily surrendered a great deal of our "freedom to."



But even then, psychologically, spirtually, existentially, the idea of freedom is largely mythical. Consider that the only truly free person is the person who's totally insane. For the rest of us, constraints abound. The rest of us impose order on our lives by sets of values by which we regulate our lives.



Therefore (as I say these days)...



"In the ideal sense of the term we were never meant to be free, our measure of grace is in being able to choose which master we will serve."



As Bob Dylan put it so long ago, "You're gonna serve somebody, you're gonna serve somebody."



Great question. Have a star... And Merry Christmas...
anonymous
2010-12-22 08:07:22 UTC
Bank serfs from the cradle to grave. The recent student fees debacle will ensure that at least 50% of the population are well and truly sewn up.
anonymous
2010-12-22 06:52:35 UTC
42 million aren't even allowed to be born every year, sure we are born to be slaves, if we weren't people would work if they wanted to and for no pay like in star trek, people would work to better themselves and society.



Our society is based on selfishness of the rich then the poor imitate this.



The world is screwed.
anonymous
2010-12-22 07:28:49 UTC
Will said it best. I would only add that even if you did trot off to live off rain water and tree bark you would still be a "slave"- to yourself. For no matter where you go or what you do; you will have needs to fill - everyday. Those will always be ultimately your responsibility to take care of.
ocean_scoop
2010-12-22 06:53:17 UTC
Well Gandhi, the truth is, freedom was bought for us through the shed blood of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus Christ). There is no other way to the Father. We must accept Him, and ask for His forgiveness, then we must learn (study) of Him in His Book (Bible), and then DO as He commanded.

In Him is freedom and life eternal.

Again, there is no other way...everything else IS slavery.
anonymous
2010-12-22 06:52:43 UTC
You are free to starve or make profits for your masters. Your choice.
anonymous
2010-12-22 06:53:35 UTC
Yes, we are born slaves in a prison as long as the Democrats control our government.



After that, it is our patriotic duty to fight and win our freedom from the Democrat regime.
anonymous
2010-12-22 06:53:47 UTC
yes you are, thats is what the red number on the back of your birth certificate is for,
?
2014-11-24 03:11:58 UTC
this is why we must get together
anonymous
2010-12-22 06:52:10 UTC
Not the rich.....they are just fine thanks......


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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