What is freedom in today’s world? In an era where we are shaped into consumers and sold the idea of freedom and autonomy, what’s the real design? And what role do we play in this equation?
Society today — nothing so different from before, to be honest — is segmented and extremely classist. The ones on the upper floors, with the best views and top-class furniture, enjoy the greatest advantages: doors opened everywhere, privileges of all kinds, and a relatively easy life (generally speaking).
On the lower floors, it’s about survival. It’s about being kind out of fear of rejection, holding on to a few small possessions, and carrying little-big desires that will rarely come true.
Somewhere in between lie a thousand shades of grey.
That’s life, right? It has always been this way and (hopefully not) might always remain so. So how do we define freedom in a world with such a clear division and such unequal levels of possibility?
I don’t have a definitive answer — and to be honest, I don’t even care too much to find one. What matters more to me are the questions. The right question can open a path toward knowledge, awareness, transformation, and discovery — so powerful that, if you are truly open, it can take you to extraordinary places! There are only two conditions: you must be open and you must be curious. And that’s not easy.
Why? Because we are educated — in every era and almost everywhere — not as independent, caring beings, but as obedient fans. From the moment you are born, you are already conditioned. You grow up being told what is good or bad, what is forbidden, what is dangerous, what is right and good. They call it culture. But often culture is nothing more than a lie repeated so many times that it becomes truth, reinforced through generations. As Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda, once said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
Does it sound familiar?
This brings me to another question: How many lies are we believing right now? How many aspects of our reality are manufactured to make us follow the script — to keep us docile, obedient, uncritical? I can tell you this: far more than we can recognize, and even more than we are willing to admit. The ego does the rest of the work, finishing what political and cultural machinery has been perfecting for centuries. Politics, like other power structures designed to control minds and souls, is built on big lies.
So, my next question is: Are we intelligent enough to understand this sadistic game and eventually rebel? The short answer: probably not. If this system works — and keeps becoming more efficient — it’s because we are corruptible, suggestible, conditioned to be supporters rather than critics. However, this doesn’t stop us from becoming as intelligent as we need to be in order to understand, take a whole new position, and reclaim our power.
The implications are infinite. But one thing is clear: creating enemies has always been one of the most effective strategies of those in power. It keeps us divided, obedient, afraid. All they need to do is let us believe we are free and happy, while pointing at endless “enemies” who want to steal what’s ours.
This is how we are manipulated from birth.
So let me circle back to the original question: What does freedom mean?
I don’t have the perfect answer, but I do have a working hypothesis — one I test every day: Freedom begins with disobedience and critical thinking.
We need to learn how to read reality deeply. Life is not meant to be manipulated and consumed for the benefit of the greedy and the powerful. We must begin creating our own vision, our own path, and the capacity to remain autonomous from rigid ideologies and pre-packaged ideas.
It takes courage, time, and perseverance. But it is the only path that can illuminate us and help us build a better world and a more conscious humanity. And remember: as you are a living, crucial and unique part of the world, if you change, the world changes with you. If you elevate yourself, you automatically elevate the whole.
Don’t waste the opportunity. It’s too precious for your life — and too important for the energy of the universe.
Stay aware, stay free…love!
Simone
