My Dear Freedom Fighter
Hey, you! Yes, you, my dear freedom fighter!
You live a life full of freedom.
When you want some tasty food, you order it without thinking twice.
When it’s mildly hot, you turn on the air-conditioner.
When it’s mildly cold, you put on a sweatshirt.
When you want to get drunk, you get drunk.
When you want to smoke, you light a cigarette.
When you want to get high, you light a joint.
When you have an urge to release some sexual tension, you masturbate.
When you want to make love with your girlfriend, you do that.
You do anything you want to. There’s nothing wrong with what you are doing.
You get pissed when someone objects to your freedom.
You don’t judge people for their actions as long as they aren’t hurting anyone else and in return you want no one judging you.
You can’t stand this hypocrite world. You are a righteous person.
You read a book, a book that reminds you of all the injustice in this society. A fire burns within you. So, you light a joint. You have a session with your friends where you have a heated discussion until you cool off.
You continue living your way of life. You know you are not going to be like the others. You are never going to be unjust. You are never going to be an asshole. The light within you shall always guide you down the morally right path…Until…
You meet with the society’s injustice. You are pissed off. You decide you are going to fight it, but you can’t take the wrong path to make it right. You have to stick to your ideals. So, you take the formal route.
You stand in the sun, waiting for your turn at an office. But, you know everyone there is a corrupt. They ask you to come back the next day. You are back in the queue, waiting for their response. It’s summer. It’s 40 degrees Celsius outside. Your shirt is drenched in sweat. Your hair’s all a mess. You are reminded of the comforts of your home — the air-conditioner, the sofa, a drink from the refrigerator, to accompany your tongue. “Oh, how nice will it be, at home”, you think. You have only two options. Either, you forget the whole injustice and go back to living your life and hope that this doesn’t repeat or you take the corrupt route. You don’t want to become a part of this corrupt system. But, you are incapable of fighting it. You take the first option. You go back to living your life, trying to pacify your ego for not winning. You watch the news. You empathise with the powerless victims. You discuss with your friends how the society’s doomed and that none of you can change this status quo. But, you vow you are never going to be a part of it…
Until…
You meet with a few more issues, from some corrupt officers and fellow people. It’s too uncomfortable to fight. It’s too uncomfortable to forget and live like nothing happened. This time, there are no 2 options. The only option is to succumb. And you become a part of the system.
Beware, my friend. What you call freedom, is you being chained to your comforts and compulsions. When the time comes, you’ll have no power left to fight since you are afraid of being uncomfortable. You become a lousy loser.
To be in constant comfort is nothing short of a chronic disease.
Go seek discomfort once in a while. The next time you feel like smoking, don’t. The next time you don’t feel like speaking up, do it. The next time, you want to lazily lie down, go move. The next time you feel like looking at your phone, go take a break from the screen and be with yourself.
Eventually, you can hopefully find the truest form of freedom, devoid of all compulsions and fears. And then, you can lay down the path to a beautiful new world.
See you on the other side!
