Are we truly FREE?

Are we truly free?

Have you ever wondered ( as I have done) on innumerable occasions on the very existence of this word ‘free’ in this supposedly beautiful life that we’re meant to be leading? Has it ever struck a deeply alarming cord somewhere in your subconscious that we’re not truly free at all? That it is all an illusion created by those around you as well as your own brain in order to satiate the same feeling of unnaturalness that everyone feels but can’t honestly accept? That something is grossly wrong under the surface and there is nothing being done to remedy it?

Born and raised by those who were sadly numbed in order to curb their free spirit so as to suit the needs and decorum of the society, have we also become victims of the very same oppressive rules? Do we also believe that it is our role as young adults to study hard in order to obtain degrees in order to work harder in order to become a member of the rat race who strut themselves proudly in an attempt to woo the opposite gender and fit into the accepted norms of the orthodox society? Study, work, marry, have children, children’s education, family vacations, children education loans, etc… Is there always going to be a fixed plan for every inane thing that has to be done? Has the joy of spontaneity been such ruthlessly crushed into the ground to such an extent that it seems blasphemous to think of anything else apart from the so mentioned ‘Plan of Life’? Have uniformity and compliance become such desirable traits that uniqueness is being sacrificed at the altar to appease the society gods? When do we live for just ourselves? Are we honestly truly free to think for ourselves?

The universe is expanding infinitely every single second, the polar ice caps are melting, the number of books that have the capability to alter the entire perception of our thinking are still mostly unread, the beauty and travails of adventure and travelling are yet to be felt, the exploration of the hidden trail in the woods, of getting lost in the clouds on rainy mountains, of rafting through stormy rapids, of meeting the unsuspecting fish in their natural habitat, of making new friends in foreign countries over cheap liquor, all this is still left to be done and yet the depressing part is that it hardly matters to anyone. The moments of despair at unforeseen circumstances in our travels, of sunrises so spectacular so as to be imprinted on our retina for the remainder of the lifetime, of fulfilling promises of adventure made to ourselves in moments of extreme happiness and much more would be how I would begin to describe my version of living life on my terms. However what seems to be more important to this society is how quickly X can make more money than Y in order to be superior to be Z. Humans evolved over millennia and gained intelligence and dominance over animals in order to seek out the higher questions to life and possibly even a few answers as well. Yet it seems that the animals and humans hardly have any difference at all. The animals may be caged, but they’re freer than we are.

What if somebody does not want to take the so called path? Would the person be allowed the freedom to challenge the age old ‘tested and proven’ rules of this society? Would the person be allowed to take a harmless stand against the customs unnecessarily attached to everything in order to hold such people back? Would such a person be celebrated for his independence or cast away as a rebel for his audacity? Would that person be acknowledged or equivalently not grudged against for at least trying?

Would that person allowed to be free?