Just thinkin'

I am a web-developer, and I usually develop applications that are meant to be used by people. In order to make an application that it is considered successful I have to keep in mind that my application users are just a bunch of idiots that in order to push a button, they need to have it written with BIG RED letters: PRESS HERE.

Nowadays, more than ever, we are bind to report ourselves to the less intelligent part of the population. At school the teachers cannot spend more time with the brightest student, but have to keep up with the idiots. And more similar examples can be found.

Why? I thought first that, since we are a democratic and humanistic society, it is a good deed for us to help its less capable members to have equal chances. If you think this way, everything seems beautiful and no need to worry. But on the second thought I've realized that everything is about money. It is about the money that the idiots have. That by kissing their asses, offering them our attention we squeeze their wallets. How about TV, music, music, literature (if I still may call it this way)? Same pattern applies. We produce in such a way that any idiot can consume that good.

How about then with the brightest members of the society. Do they have any chance to raise above and lead when they'll grow up? Sincerely, I really don't think so! Take a look around by yourself: who are the ones that are leading? The smartest? The brightest? The most talented? I don't think so, because our society doesn't promote this anymore (not that there would have been a moment in time when this was 100% true).

Our society is all about MONEY. Damned' money. And for what? To fund the never ending pockets of some insatiable small group of individuals, that even don't have a purpose in life other than gathering as much money as they can, and spend them on freakin' expensive goods and services of which price could easily feed half of the African continent

And by the way, they call this liberty/freedom. Liberty of what? Of shopping as much as your credit card allows! The liberty of watching stupid TV shows and movies until your eyes pop out and your brain transforms in an amorphous mass of dead cells! Freedom to take a 5 day vacation a year, in an "exotique" location and the rest of the year, work until you lie dead.

What are we then? Remember MATRIX and the human "batteries"? We are the same now, even if not in that grotesque form. We are just feeding the never empty belies of the world riches, and in exchange we receive "freedom" as described above.

Someone could argue, that never in history the situation has been different. I must agree with this, but at least then you knew at leas the enemy. Now the enemy, the "master" is invisible, and you are being told that you are "free".

But I tell you, we are less free than our ancestors were. Think about just refusing to go to work (you are free to do this). You'll do what? You'll stay at home, or wander around for a while until the money and the food will end, or a "good" neighbor will report to police that you're behaving strange. What could you do? Run in the mountains, become a beggar. Both variants get you out of the society but you could not bare none of them.

First because due to the many liberties/benefits that you've had before (TV, fast-food, car, insurance etc) you aren't able anymore to take care of yourself by yourself. Your belly is larger than your feet can suffer, your muscles are tunned for laptop sized weights, and you could not run more than a mile without spitting your lungs. Not to mention that without the TV, your life has no meaning. And in the end in what mountains? Because all of them are national parks that are being patrolled by enforced rangers, that would gracefully grab you by pans and bring you back to the society.

The second variant could not be endured because it affects your self respect.

And how do you call a man which cannot escape a situation? I call it a prisoner and in this case, I call it a SLAVE. A more refined blend, but still slavery.

Do I want to say that escaping the slavery is about running into mountains, into wilderness, or just becoming a beggar/vagabond? No, not at all, although the power to choose one of those paths is a great one. I'm just saying that freedom lies into ourselves. It may sound easy and mostly very common, but in order to understand what I want to say, I just want to ask you: WHAT IS FREEDOM? Or how do you identify a free person?

You might say that a free person is the one who can do whatever he/she wants, or a person who cannot be pursued to do something. Are you such a person? I though so too :) But this isn't freedom, because we are living in a society which is by default a structure. And a structure resists if its members are bound to a set of rules that need not to be broken in order that the structure remains one. So this definition of freedom is false, and if it would be true we would not have a single chance to be free.

The true definition of freedom is this: you are free when you need NOTHING to feel free, or in other words you are free when after everything has been taken from you, you don't miss anything.

Try to have a simpler life: work less, read more (literature - old one - not magazines and comics or newspapers), try to help your family, friends, neighbors, and even people that you don't know and as often as you can try to get in touch with nature. And go to Church, think of things greater than yourself.

I don't say that I do everithing that I've said before, but I try. I try to give my help to everyone that asks me. I don't watch TV anymore. I eat less, and think more. I'm not yet free. But one day I will be, because I choose so. For me a "virtual stake" is tasteless. I want the real piece.

Writing this article helped me organize my thoughts and re-issue to myself my belief . What I've stated here is my opinion, and I don't expect you to share it with me. You are free (at least you think you are :) ) to believe me or not. You could think of what I've said, or just pass away saying (yet another freak saying his Jesus ;) ). Either way I don't loose or win nothing. But maybe you are!

Mielu