(Dangerous) Thinking

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. This is, as I have come to find out, a dangerous act in the country I reside. Actually, it’s more the content of my thoughts that are a danger and threat to a fearful and enslaved culture such as the one I happen to find myself in at this moment in history.

I recently have had, as the tendency in my life seems to be, many good conversations. Conversations that center on the common theme of young Americans trying to find their place in this society. This is something I know much about. I’ve been an outsider in this strange land for the entirety of my life.

Now I understand that there is always some degree of “who am I?” in the young, especially in trying to figure out what they will be doing with their lives. Being a young adult can be scary, especially in a fragmented culture such as this one. We let consumerism and work break us apart. We are forced into roles and for the most part we stay within those roles.

It seems to me that my life is sweetening with age. I enjoy the simple things in life more and more. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case with many of my peers. The pressure to conform overwhelms them on a daily basis and they feel trapped and very dissatisfied with how their lives are turning out. It seems as though the “land of the free” isn’t really that free at all.

Here is what I have observed “freedom” to be defined as in modern day America:

The “freedom” to be in credit card debt.
The “freedom” to live in a house you will have to slave your entire life away to try and own (and even then there are really no guarantees you’ll be able to afford it).
The “freedom” to attend a college or university of your choice for four to eight years only to graduate deep in debt.

Anyone noticing a pattern here? There is an entire life to be had in America but it comes at a price: your own personal freedom.

No one can convince me that the debt system in America is anything but a modern day form of slavery.

And that begs the question I have been asking myself for quite some time now:

How do I live as a free man amongst a nation of slaves?

It’s late and I'm tired. More to come.