The Will To Be Free
Are humans naturally free? Is there something deep in our souls or nature that craves freedom, or do we secretly want to be dominated, controlled or taken care of in some fashion? We all say we want freedom, hence why we fight to get away from our parents at a certain age (that age depending on the person..sometimes in their early teens, sometimes in their late 30's), but once we acquire that freedom and the chance to be alone, we start looking for someone to be with that will help take care of us in a fashion.
I asked a simple question at the dinner table today. "have you ever watched a movie when you were young and cheered for the hero but then watched it again later in life and thought about the hero's actions and thought that perhaps he wasn't a hero but his actions were evil?" of course, a few people looked at me blankly, like they normally do, but one asked me which movie I watched. H.G. Well's "the Time Machine", the original 1960 version not the horrible remake that they did recently. I remember how when the hero went to the future, saw how people had turned out and how the Morlocks were taking control of peoples lives and future and how he fought the system, I stood up and cheered for him saying that he did right. BUT, now as an adult, I sit back and look at his actions and ask myself "what right did he have meddling in their social structure, their lives, their agreement in society?"
It was at that point that one individual said that he was surprised that I would actually think that the people were better off living under morlock control than being free. Obviously oppression and all that was happening to the people was an evil that should be stopped. But, did the people really view it as an evil that had to be stopped? The people got food, shelter, water and all the necessities of life and in payment they had to sacrifice a few individuals to the morlock cave every now and then. They were taken care of, could play, dance, sing and do whatever they wanted with their time. No one complained in the society, no one stopped it from happening, no one stood up and looked at the cave and said "I wonder what happens to people that go in there", so why should an outsider suddenly walk into the place and say "this is wrong, I have my beliefs and you are against all that I believe...therefore, I shall destroy the morlocks and free you all" Never asking the people if they wanted to be free, never asking them if they were happy, never stopping to wonder if he was doing it for the good of the people or the good of the one that he loved.
So then I had to wonder, is it in mankinds nature to be free or to be dominated? when he said he was surprised that I felt that mankind should be free, I had to wonder if that was because living in a relatively free society (granted we cant shoot people in the streets without some form of punishment, but we are still free to do things that are relatively harmless) he was projecting his own beliefs on the nature of humans, or if it was because we are all basically wanting to be free.
His other argument was that the people didnt know what the morlocks were doing to the people that went under ground, so therefore the people were not in a mutual agreement with the morlocks but were only cattle. I countered with the thought that if the people had asked what was happening and were inquisitive about the whole arrangement and didnt like what was going on but were forced into it, then that would be akin to slavery or oppression. If you dont ask or read the fine print, then you are not exempt from the responsibilities. Wouldn't that be like going to the bank, signing a contract for a loan, not reading the small print and then being shocked and amazed that in the contract it says that if you don't pay the loan back they can take your house and first born child and then scream out oppression or unfairness. Ignorance of a contract or agreement is not a valid excuse for calling it off.
I then mentioned that perhaps the hero did bad because even though he freed the people from the threat of death by morlock, what he did was put hundreds, possibly thousands, of helpless people out to the world to fend for themselves in one day. These people have no idea on how to hunt, fish, farm, build, read or write. All their food and supplies were brought to them. So, in his 'noble' actions, he may very well have killed more of these people through disease, starvation or injury than the morlocks would have taken in months or years.
So, now I am left to wonder. What exactly is the true nature of the human being? are we bent on freedom and doing things for ourselves, or are we basically lazy individuals that like to have all our needs met by others? The Greeks had slaves for the rich, given them more time to spend singing, dancing, eating and thinking. Is that what humans strive for? someone else to do our work so that we can sing, dance, eat and think our way to happiness? And did the hero of The Time Machine do evil by freeing the people that didnt ask to be freed, or did he do right by freeing people that he felt were oppressed?
I asked a simple question at the dinner table today. "have you ever watched a movie when you were young and cheered for the hero but then watched it again later in life and thought about the hero's actions and thought that perhaps he wasn't a hero but his actions were evil?" of course, a few people looked at me blankly, like they normally do, but one asked me which movie I watched. H.G. Well's "the Time Machine", the original 1960 version not the horrible remake that they did recently. I remember how when the hero went to the future, saw how people had turned out and how the Morlocks were taking control of peoples lives and future and how he fought the system, I stood up and cheered for him saying that he did right. BUT, now as an adult, I sit back and look at his actions and ask myself "what right did he have meddling in their social structure, their lives, their agreement in society?"
It was at that point that one individual said that he was surprised that I would actually think that the people were better off living under morlock control than being free. Obviously oppression and all that was happening to the people was an evil that should be stopped. But, did the people really view it as an evil that had to be stopped? The people got food, shelter, water and all the necessities of life and in payment they had to sacrifice a few individuals to the morlock cave every now and then. They were taken care of, could play, dance, sing and do whatever they wanted with their time. No one complained in the society, no one stopped it from happening, no one stood up and looked at the cave and said "I wonder what happens to people that go in there", so why should an outsider suddenly walk into the place and say "this is wrong, I have my beliefs and you are against all that I believe...therefore, I shall destroy the morlocks and free you all" Never asking the people if they wanted to be free, never asking them if they were happy, never stopping to wonder if he was doing it for the good of the people or the good of the one that he loved.
So then I had to wonder, is it in mankinds nature to be free or to be dominated? when he said he was surprised that I felt that mankind should be free, I had to wonder if that was because living in a relatively free society (granted we cant shoot people in the streets without some form of punishment, but we are still free to do things that are relatively harmless) he was projecting his own beliefs on the nature of humans, or if it was because we are all basically wanting to be free.
His other argument was that the people didnt know what the morlocks were doing to the people that went under ground, so therefore the people were not in a mutual agreement with the morlocks but were only cattle. I countered with the thought that if the people had asked what was happening and were inquisitive about the whole arrangement and didnt like what was going on but were forced into it, then that would be akin to slavery or oppression. If you dont ask or read the fine print, then you are not exempt from the responsibilities. Wouldn't that be like going to the bank, signing a contract for a loan, not reading the small print and then being shocked and amazed that in the contract it says that if you don't pay the loan back they can take your house and first born child and then scream out oppression or unfairness. Ignorance of a contract or agreement is not a valid excuse for calling it off.
I then mentioned that perhaps the hero did bad because even though he freed the people from the threat of death by morlock, what he did was put hundreds, possibly thousands, of helpless people out to the world to fend for themselves in one day. These people have no idea on how to hunt, fish, farm, build, read or write. All their food and supplies were brought to them. So, in his 'noble' actions, he may very well have killed more of these people through disease, starvation or injury than the morlocks would have taken in months or years.
So, now I am left to wonder. What exactly is the true nature of the human being? are we bent on freedom and doing things for ourselves, or are we basically lazy individuals that like to have all our needs met by others? The Greeks had slaves for the rich, given them more time to spend singing, dancing, eating and thinking. Is that what humans strive for? someone else to do our work so that we can sing, dance, eat and think our way to happiness? And did the hero of The Time Machine do evil by freeing the people that didnt ask to be freed, or did he do right by freeing people that he felt were oppressed?
posted by Capt_Canuck at 8:54 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home