Freedom

It’s my extreme fortune to always have resided in a democratic nation. I’ve enjoyed the right to freedom of expression, assembly, association, movement, residence, profession, and religion. These are fundamental rights of citizenship. But, they come at a price. Firstly, I should be aware of my rights and if they are being violated, capable of seeking redress in the courts of law. Secondly, I need to perform the duties of and abide by the responsibilities of citizenship. But in some regions, such rights don’t even exist or exist as privileges, so I should be grateful.

In spite of this, I feel shackled like a slave, craving for freedom. I’ve found employment to pay my monthly bills, rent and insurance payments. The state takes its cut from my earnings, too. Employment confines me to a fixed routine in specific locations. I take the same route to and from work, occupy the same cage-like office and operate on the same schedule, day after day. Every job has certain powers and responsibilities associated with it. Higher I rise in the hierarchy, the more people I’ll be answerable and accountable to. I need to discipline my thoughts, words, actions and deeds to think, say and do as I am expected to, so everyone I am accountable to is happy. Under a constant pressure of meet ever-rising expectations, I’ll get caught in a tangle of stresses and strains.

Formal education and employment have certainly made me a better citizen. I abide by the law of the land. I adhere to codes of conduct. I follow the norms of the culture I operate in. I’ve submitted to all the restrictions, schedules and obligations so today I am perceived as a well behaved member of the system (whether an organization, community, society and nation) that I interact with. For a smooth operation, the system depends on the compliance of its members and keeps a watch to prevent members from pursuing a life could have malefic effects on others. But, I live in the constant fear of not being a well behaved entity in the system or being a victim of another entity’s ill conduct.

Outside my cage-like office, I realize the world looks so colorful and sounds so musical. I seek temporary relief from my bound existence in a song, a magazine/book, a TV show, an amusing spectacle or conversation to break the monotony and routine. But, the relief is short lived. It’s as if all there is to look forward to be these breaks, weekends and vacations.

There is so much in the world to see, hear, taste, smell, touch and do. My senses constantly seek gratification. My mind continuously seeks entertainment. I was born on earth because of these desires and urges, in the first place. To a certain extent, they motivate me to live and drive me to act in life. When wants become needs, these urges and desires become cravings and addictions. That’s when a desire or urge is gratified not because pleasure is derived from it, but because it’s become a habit, a compulsion, like taking a meal to pacify hunger. Does this mean that I have been enslaved by my own desires and urges, my own mind?

While at home, I turn the TV or some loud and fast music on; in the car, I keep the radio and at work I keep my headphones on listening to music streaming over the web. In the afternoon and the evening, I take doses of caffeine, whether a soda or a coffee, or else the day seems to hit a halt. Now that I’ve become habituated to these, I feel restless when my senses are under-engaged. These started as engagements I used to temporarily free myself from the shackles of everyday existence, but now I’m enslaved by them.

Karma suggests I am bound to live the reactions of my actions, whether in this life or in the lives to come. Hence, I am never free. I should live responsibly because I will be held accountable for all of my actions. But this still is a cycle. The only way to limit the reactions is to limit the actions. Thoughts lead to words and words to actions, so the very desire to someday possess or do something will ultimately result in the possession or actions accordingly. To break the cycle, the only solution seems to be to establish a personal relationship with the higher powers that maintain accounts of actions and administer reactions.

The human species has highly developed and mature senses compared to other living beings. Plants have to live long lives with low levels of consciousness and little sense perception. Among the animals, we have the best combination of high-resolution color vision, well-developed auditory sensing and the highest level of consciousness. We engage in activities beyond those required for survival, i.e. eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Many highly expressive languages have evolved from our communication. They’ve been made rich with literature, in prose and poetry forms, with expressions of romance, comedy, sorrow, anger, valor, fear, disgust, surprise and peace. While experimenting with sound, we realized rhythm and melody and created music. With the ability to coordinate our high-resolution senses and our high-precision motor functions, came various sports, games, martial arts, yoga and other physical exercises. Curious about the mysteries of nature, we explored and experimented, which led to various discoveries and inventions that define our life and our understanding of the world today. No matter when or where, we humans have engaged our senses and mind to interact with the world we’re in and have thoroughly occupied ourselves in it. With such a highly potent and fast mind is it possible to operate in a mental world and achieve more in a lifetime than operating in the material world? Researchers studying theoretical aspects of a science progress in leaps and bounds compared to their counterparts studying the practical aspects of engineering the science that progress at snail’s pace. It’s our interaction with the material world that slows us down and restricts our space of thought.

Our mind is so potent. Yet, we spend all our life interacting with the material world, which restricts its operating space and slows it down. But we don’t discipline or control it. It always seeks sense enjoyment; we’re continuously running around trying to pacify its insatiable thirst. But, in the societal system we are a part of, we are bound by what’s deemed acceptable and appropriate behavior. So, we are unable to satisfy each desire or urge as it comes. Hence we feel enslaved. I see freedom in peace, in the complete acceptance of things as they are as the will of higher powers, without wanting things to be any different for myself or anyone else.

Tale Of Two Empires

Two empires have had a deep impact in my life. The current US Empire is one. The US has more than 700 military bases in more than 130 countries. It has more than 140,000 troops in Iraq and another 100,000 in other countries outside the US. The US was unwillingly dragged into the international scene during WW1, but it’s played a major role ever since. Its foreign policy has increasingly become interventionist in nature. The US has masterminded covert operations like protests, uprisings, even coups, in other nations to bring regime change. US puppets usually form the newly installed governments. The US has not been reluctant to use diplomatic arm-twisting and overt threats when hushed covert operations were infeasible or failures. The Bush administration has defined Iran, Syria and N. Korea to be the “Axis of Evil”, an indication they can expect military aggression soon if they don’t align with US interests. The US is increasingly showing willingness, even eagerness, to resort to military action to coerce other nations to obedience. So, the US is finding itself continuously at war.

Corporate media and Hollywood have played an important role in portraying the US as the hero, even martyr, rewriting history and hiding the imperialistic agenda. Nations with a communist or Islamic government, with regulated markets and restricted export of their natural resources, who in spite of a weak economy and defense infrastructure are unwilling to assist the US in its imperialistic agenda or allow US military bases to be established in their soil/waters are simply called “rogue states” or “bad guys”. The US intelligence frames a case portraying the “bad guys” as imminent threat to the US and its allies citing nuclear and conventional warfare capability. Mainstream media feeds the American public the belief that any subsequent US attacks is a necessary evil to pre-empt the “bad guys” from using might against the US or its interests or even better sugar-coat it calling it the “war of freedom” so the victimized citizens of these “rogue states” may enjoy the fruits of freedom/democracy/capitalism Americans do. The US have taken upon themselves to bring international order and believe only they have the enlightened leadership, nobility and altruistic intentions to do so. Since the rest of the world can’t handle itself, the US needs to do it for them.

Unlike the British Empire, the US has no interests in colonizing other countries. The US only wants to set up naval/army/air bases in foreign lands or park its carrier ships in their waters only to protect US allies or US interests. The US hasn’t and won’t take up the responsibility of local administration. It gets to enjoy the power without facing responsibility. Presently, Pentagon might be determining strategies to erect new US bases in Eastern Europe, West and North Africa, South and South East Asia. The thrust is to deploy more troops abroad than at home, so defense is more proactive (on the offensive) than reactive.

Large corporations and banks are driving the US to global domination. Trade and economy was the prime reason the British established their empire too. Countries seeking IMF/WB loans (essentially towards nation building), usually end up taking more loans just to pay the interest because their exports are significantly less. In return for US aid then, they are forced to open their land and water to US military establishments and their markets to free trade. This gives US access to another market to sell the surplus goods it produces so Americans remain employed. US defense machinery and arms form an important export commodity for the US. US defense sector is a major employer while it sells the world outdated products for exorbitant prices. Opening of foreign markets also gives the US unrestricted access to their natural resources for its industrial processes.

After the cold war was over, capitalism emerged the winner. The communist model of having a state run economy proved a failure. In the capitalist model citizens continuously found new business opportunities to push the economy forward because they enjoyed the fruits of their efforts. Considering the success the US found, many countries followed suit and opened their markets. Big corporations have emerged most powerful, they control the wealth, eliminate competition or acquire/merge with other corporations on the way. They’ve gotten access to cheapest raw material, labor and production costs on the globe. A downfall to capitalism and globalization is that it increases the gap between the rich and poor. The rich become richer at the expense of the poor, who become poorer. But then, capitalism is about survival of the fittest and not about fairness.

For historic reasons the US finds the UK, Canada and Australia as its closest allies, all with white, native English speaking Christian populations. Its relation with other countries hints of arrogance, a sense of racial superiority. If we look back to the beginnings of terrorism, Osama was funded and trained by the US to counter Soviet influence in Afghanistan. The US is waging a war in Iraq now, but Saddam was a US favorite, aided by the US in the Iran-Iraq war, till it invaded Iraq. Saudi Arabia has held permanent US military bases since the Gulf war in 1991 and so has been a “key US ally”. Though experiencing opposing attitude, both Saudi Arabia and Iraq have received considerable US attention, since they have the largest reserves of oil in the Middle East. The 2nd largest economy, Japan, has, since WW2, been a state wholly dependent on the US for its defense. Completely reversing its 60 year old stance, the US is encouraging Japan to arm, so it may assist the US in developing its Star-Wars program and possibly indulge in combat with China, which is posing a threat to US supremacy, and is showing signs of annexing Taiwan in the near future. The US and its allies have imposed back breaking sanctions on Cuba/Iraq. More than a 100,000 children died in Iraq because of international sanctions on the basic medical/food supplies.

The US has been a disproportionately high consumer of global resources (whether natural, energy, manufactured products or services/labor) and it hardly acknowledges it let alone agreeing to a more fair/just distribution. Global power today is concentrated in a single nation. The US relies heavily on its imports from all around the globe to persist. In this uni-polar world it unilaterally uses force (or evokes fear of using it) on countries all around to align them with its interests. The US writes the international law, rules and treaties the world must follow, but conveniently places itself outside their jurisdiction and undermines the very institutions it formed to enforce them.

The predecessor to the US Empire was the British Empire which has also had a deep impact on my life because my countries of origin and residence have both at some time been, wholly or partially, colonies of the British. In 1920, the British Empire had sway over ¼ of the world’s population and 1/3 of the world’s land. The merchant marines were the first to venture the waters in search of distant lands for trade. The Royal Navy followed to protect trade and open new routes.

The British held rule over two empires separated in time and space. The 1st began early 17th century with colonizing Eastern US, Canada, Caribbean islands. The British wiped out the native population in N. America and Australia and later brought in slave labor from Africa. The southern American colonies produced tobacco, cotton, rice while the northern colonies made naval materiel and fur, and sugar was produced by slave labor in Caribbean islands, all for British consumption. With the American war of independence, though, the British lost hold of their 1st empire.

Britain’s trade relations with US strengthened, in spite of its losing the war against the Americans, and it realized it could economically benefit from the US without paying for their defense and administration. With this realization, Canada and Australia were given greater autonomy in the mid 19th century. In early and mid 19th century Britain was the world’s most industrial nation. In 19th century it only held colonial rule over a relatively small region from South and South East Asia. The British annexed Hong Kong after 2 bloody wars with China. Britain became a big importer of tea from China, and to make up for the bilateral trade deficit that Britain was running into, it started selling opium to China, which the Chinese resented and fought and lost 2 wars against Britain.

By late 19th century, Germany and the US quickly industrialized and were producing higher quality products that swamped the free trade markets and gave Britain a run for its money. Even India, China, Latin America and parts of Africa decreased demand of British exports. Again the race to establish a colonial empire began, to find new overseas markets to import cheap raw material from and export products to without foreign competition. Many European nations set on quests to colonize territories. Later the US and Japan joined the same scramble for annexation of parts of Asia and Africa. This quest for colonization was necessary to protect and grow trade relations with overseas markets from being usurped by the closed trading blocs of rival powers. With their military prowess, the British colonized Asian and African territories to create its 2nd and largest empire.

Britain gave greater autonomy to the white-settled colonies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and S. Africa. They remained dominions which had to channelize their foreign relations and trade agreements through the British, but were free to manage internal administration and maintain their own defense establishments. By the end of WW1, the dominions, which had reluctantly obeyed Britain’s declaration of war and provided it with military support, had no intention to assist Britain in its efforts to gain global control and power. Slowly they were given complete independence but the transfer of control was gradual over a sequence of treaties. Ireland was given complete independence after the Irish Republican Army began a campaign against British rule.

WW2 marked the end to British colonial rule. Colonies without permanently settled white population found it difficult to deal with the British as equals. Many of its colonies struck deals that offered their complete independence in return for loyalty to and cooperation with the British during the war. It was about the same time that nations started looking towards the US to align with in exchange for protection. India, Pakistan, Singapore with Malaysia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Palestine gained independence from Britain about the same time after WW2 was over. A decade later, with political and violent uprising, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Kenya, Zanzibar, The Gambia, Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi and Zambia gained full sovereignty. Britain grouped or parted territories based on its understanding of states that should be “capable of dealing with the challenges of sovereignty”, so Singapore was blocked with Malaysia, Bangladesh with Pakistan, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados were clumped to the West Indies. They all broke off later to stabilize their respective regions. Apartheid continued in S. Africa till 1994, where minority white enjoyed a superior status than the majority black in their own native land. Britain also kept loose control over Hong Kong till 1997.

The British had long term plans for greater global domination, so do the Americans. The U.S. may successfully create an Empire greater than the British Empire. The current administration's agenda goes well with the powerful white Christian conservatives. They believe might is right. Iraq is a victim to US’s power hungry struggle to establish its racial and religious supremacy. Terrorism is an obvious outcome of uneducated and unemployed youth without opportunities in life, disillusioned by the apparent global disparity and continuously trampled upon to suit western interests. Bush and Bin Laden are both extremists, ignorant and full of hatred and anger for each other; ready, even eager, to pick arms to make their respective points. Power corrupts. Differences because of race and color will sooner or later manifest itself. Organized religion can be stronger than corporate and politicians. But the world will rid itself of fanatics and radicals, just like it did Hitler.