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PERSONAL FREEDOM Vs MODERN SLAVERY

Updated on May 10, 2011

Can we ever be really free?

Last several weeks I have been intensively thinking about various aspects of human slavery which never stopped to exist in every human society.

All human societies are based on hierarchy of dominance and submission which is today present on more subtle way then in the previous centuries but this major principle is deeply affecting the lives of all of us. ( as a healer, I explained some major points abut that problem in the Hub ENERGY VAMPIRISM)

Due to that, people usually do not feel free - somewhere deeply everyone of us has moments when one feels as slave, controlled by others, manipulated by others or at least not equal to the others. Somewhere deeply majority of people feel chained to the burdens of this life and requires that rules of modern society put on them.

Freedom is the highest ideal of humanity, but is obvioulsy goal which so often seems to be very much out of a reach. There is no slavery officially in democratic countries, so many of us do not even dare to say that some of us could be slaves. How many of us really feel completely free - temporary or permanently ?

According to my analysis, to become personally free, one needs at least:

  • a lot of time for oneself
  • balanced financial status (whatever does that mean for one individual in the certain moment of life, but one should be for the beginning free of debts)
  • reasonably good health
  • self-esteem which is high enough
  • majority of life-traumas healed (so they cannot subconsciously act against the positive life- goals)
  • positive visions for personal future
  • self-created job
  • enough of vital energy
  • sufficient amount of some kind of support from the others - at least the others should not be permanent burden in someone`s life.
  • one needs to develop ability to not to accept more responsibility then one is really able to care of
  • one needs to be brave enough to desire that freedom

Freedom is very much connected with state of mind and emotions and ability to recognize power of free will within, and also individual limitations.

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Freedom and Free Will

Everyone of us has free will, but this free will mainly leads us to solve present problems, not to directly search for freedom. Solving the problems IS way to attain freedom.

Many people are also not aware that they we have any free will, so they cannot use what they do not know they have.

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Levels of Personal Freedom

There are various levels of personal freedom, but these several once are of main importance:

  • emotional freedom -freedom of traumatic events in the past and freedom of co-dependent relationships
  • financial and material freedom
  • freedom at work
  • spiritual freedom - freedom of religious prejudices and dogmatic belives

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Freedom and Money

Problem in gaining freedom is deeply connected with material possessions. Can one feel free without money and any private property while living in our societies? I doubt it. Altough freedom IS very much connected with state of mind and emotions, average homeless person without money can become only begger, prostitute or prophet ( if lucky) - and through that, not free again.

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Freedom in Human Society?

Human society will not progress so quickly to allow  people to become free and dignified beings. We have high ideals and poor realization of these ideals, but eventually we will progress. After all, I do believe in humanity.

As a major obstacle to healing wounds of our societies which prevents us to achieve our high ideals is basic conflict of interests among various groups of people. This conflict leads us into the chains of slavery which is very often material one - as the poverty is.

Poverty is self-created by humans, by game of dominance and submission in which more powerful and greedy winn and weaker ones lose. This game is "ON" everywhere around - in every country, in every part of the world.

There is no need for wars, recession, poverty, personal slavery and all various problems humanity as a whole has - we have them only because some of people want to be dominant over everything and everybody else, and the rest of people allow them that dominance . As long as people allow that sickness to rule their world, they will not be able to set themselves free and will be continuously manipulated.

It would be very naive to expect that people will change quickly, new generations will have to solve that problem - for now, majority of people will stay living in some kind of modern slavery and obey various masters.

One can attain certain level of personal freedom, but only small percentage of people is ready to travel this road. Due to the fact that we live in societies, even when we reach needed level of personal freedom, we can hardly stay completely isolated of all influences of human society, which are so often stressful ones: we are all part of the whole:

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UN Declaration of Human Rights

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Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

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Slavery in Relationships and Families

There is a lot of slavery in relationships - much more then any of us is aware when we enter into the new relationship. Submissive status is in female genes, what make so many of us slaves of men even today. One of the examples is , so many women in the world who stay for many years deeply emotionally chained with men who do not even care for them (even if they left them with children).

In spite of their submissive traditional status , women can become worse dictators in family, then any men could ever be - especially towards their children. Well, when controlled one finally comes into position of dominance, everything can happen.

Traditionally family duties were in majority of societies for thousands of years clearly divided on female and male ones, women stayed at home and men were providers, and so called "providers" had always much more rights and higher position in hierarchy of dominance. The "leftovers" of that tradition exist even today all around the world.

Marriages can today become slavery for everyone, especially if people try to stick to traditional family roles. Well, even if they don˙t, women´s jobs are almost everywhere less paid, not to mention chronic lack of jobs in the world. High rates of unemployment make many of people slaves of their employees - especially vulnerable for that type of slavery are family people who NEED money for their children.

Married couple can easily become chained with bills, debts, high mortgages, big credits...especially if they have children while not being completely financially stable and completely materially ready for having children. People with children can be so easily manipulated - especially from employees or government to accept inadequate or disgraceful jobs for very little money what they would never do if childless.

So many people around the world misuse their children while foricing them to perform labour for them or leading them into sexual slavery. Because of money. We live in the world where children trafficking is alive and real - and the worst part of that story is that so often child´s own parents or relatives are deeply involved in act of sale . This is not happening only in poor countries - people sell their children even in the richest countries in the world.

(Human trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor: a modern-day form of slavery. It is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world).

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Sexual slavery

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If woman is young and poor especially in poor country (as well as in rich ones) and not educated (because of poverty) to find a normal job, prostitution is so often only choice. Sexual market is constantly demanding new young bodies, and poor girls are getting almost nothing for painful and humiliating services they provide. As poverty is getting bigger, more and more girls (and boys) are being sold on sexual slavery market, so often with "blessings" of their families, like I mentioned in previous chapter. Tradition of male sexual dominance over the women and children has a lot to do with it.

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Except prostitution, colourful world of pornography, which is so exciting for so many, is actually just one form of sexual slavery of modern world Well, if you have any doubts about it, and you are man, try to imagine that you need to do all what one "actress" needs to do during her carrier just to maybe attain little peace of financial freedom, or more likely AIDS. Yes, you know what I mean - just imagine. Ouch! Believe me, they do not do it because of passion - they do it because they need money. Not to mention children pornography ! Men who act in such movies are also slaves - do not even try to believe that they really enjoy in "acting".

If there would be no poverty, no human greediness, sexual slaves would hardly exist. I started to wander weather the reason why humanity does not seriously want to solve poverty lies in the fact that so many actually so deeply enjoy having cheap slaves among the poorest ones ?

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This photo captured real happenings of religious meeting in Phillipini. I HOPE IT WILL MAKE YOU THINK HOW FAR WE CAN GO BY BEING BLINDLY OBEDIENT
This photo captured real happenings of religious meeting in Phillipini. I HOPE IT WILL MAKE YOU THINK HOW FAR WE CAN GO BY BEING BLINDLY OBEDIENT

Religious Slavery Vs Spiritual Freedom

Human society supports idea about slavery even through the religious myths and religious beliefs and many members of all world religions and spiritual paths force people into blind obedience mentioning "words of God". With the deepest respect to the all the best in all religions, I have never seen any god coming down from the heaven to me and ordering me to blindly obey any holy script, otherwise I would go to hell, but I heard so many people telling that to the other people. Blind obedience is pure human formula to manipulate and exploit the others, this has nothing to do with Divine being.

Religions and spiritual paths should be here to unite us, not to divide us. If they are dividing us, something is really wrong.

Even Apocalyptic prophecies are here to conquer and exploit people: if one is all the time afraid that world will end soon and that there is final judgment on the way, such person does not have energy and will to create his/her own freedom or any sufficient progress in the life. There is no point to do something materially useful for oneself when world will end so soon and God will punish everyone who doesn`t believe in that.

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It is long way and lots of questioning many of us need to ask and answer if we want to attain sufficient level of spiritual freedom to find out at least a bit of truth about this world.

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Why is Personal Freedom Important Goal

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I mentioned above only part of the story - people are so often slaves of their employees, politics, slavery is happening in all other fields of human activities, whenever somebody exploit and manipulates the others .

In such world real personal freedom is not easy to achieve and is even harder to keep, but is sacred goal of every person who wants to live as dignified human being. Personal freedom is only weapon we have against slavery of our world and only hope that could transform this pain.

Even when we achieve this goal, the real border of our own freedom will be determined by our compassion and empathy for the others who suffer unjustice of this human world.

 

Copyright: Tatiana-Michaela Pribic

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Have I ever met completely free person in my country? I think yes.

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I met two free women in Croatia who completely independatly lived isolated of society:

- 35 years ago I had honor to meet one older woman who was the only one who decided to stay to live on small island Scedro . She had her old stone house and small pension from her deceased husband, few goats and whole island full of wonders of nature for herself. She seemed to be completely happy, content and balanced. She did not enjoy there any of benefits of civilisation (no running water, only well nor electricity, but no bills) - but she was fulfilled with happiness,

- 3 years ago I met one older (70-80) but very vital woman who lives alone in one empty village on wild mountain Velebit. Her personal property is as above - old stone house and small pension - but her eyes are full of wisdom and inner joy, and she looked so happy and free, altough conditions of life on the mountain are so far from standards of our civilisation, and we would consider them as very difficult, especially since she lives in the ex-village completely alone. Also no running water, only well, no electricity, no TV or phone. Do I need to tell you that this lady had much more energy then myself?

I doubt that such standards could be applied for anyone of us in the years to come , but these are very interesting examples of two ordinary women who certainly attained their freedom. They were not controlled by anyone, .

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