Thursday, March 5, 2009
Subservience
In a word, yes. But I'm sure you want more. Every one in society is forced to be subservient in order to exist in that society. The levels to which each of us bend to stay within that system differ, but none of us can stand completely upright. Those who try die, as evidenced by Chris McCandless. He tried to live outside of the system, and was happy for a spell, but eventually everyone dies if they remain above the system. To survive, each of us must give up some of who we are. If I was utterly free I could steal or kill as I chose, essentially destroying the freedoms of others. To preserve the majority of the freedoms everyone enjoys each of must give some of our individual freedoms, which is subservience to the system, or to the greater good, depending on your viewpoint. However, no one today has to face the level of subservience Wright was forced to endure in the south. He has to control every impulse, hide every thought, nearly literally bow to the whites around him. When he tries to break out of this harsh system he is beaten, or cast out of a job. In order for Wright to survive even on a day-to-day basis he must be so subservient as to lose some of himself.
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1 comment:
So J.P. you are saying that if you were completely free you would steal and kill? I didn't think there was reason to check your morality, but that is a little scary. Anyhow, I think this is a good post. I liked the part where you talked about not being able to stand up straight, everybody has to bend over a little bit or they will end up dead like McCandless. I agree with you in saying that everybody has to be subservient to some degree, Wright just had to bend over more than any of us do.
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