LET’s KNOW OURSELVES Are We Free? [Archives:2001/29/Culture]

Ali Kaheli 
The spontaneous answer is ‘Yes’ but is it the right answer? Young men now act automatically without thinking. Are they free enough? They give up their right to choose which is the core of freedom’s value. They, for example, join the college that their secondary school percentage allows them. Those whose percentage is 90% join Medicine faculty; who have 80% join Engineering college; lesser than that join commercial, Art or science colleges. This order enslaves the student who joins the allowable college, ignoring his right to think and then choose. 
Marriage is another issue that shows the slavery of our young men. Most of them consider marriage their first aim. Though marriage is essential to everyone but can it be the first aim? However, they think of marriage as a task for which they are responsible and their responsibilities are limited to managing money or sometimes getting children. Selection of a wife and other arrangements are left to the parents and relatives. Thus they automatically try to make money and then marry without using the right to thinking and choosing. (relinquishing their freedom again). Love-relations, which absolutely have nothing to do with their marriage projects, are times of enjoyment and fun. Here also he doesn’t choose because he wants to have many possible relations. 
Are we free? We are free when we can select what we want to do and say, after thinking not automatically as a slave. The ability to choose is built by two factors: knowledge and the environment where we live. As our young men don’t read and as reading is mainly the source of knowledge, our ability of choice if we have it, depends on our environment. 
The environment of rich young men is generally materialistic. They have most of what they want. The principles here are almost materialistic. Rich children are told that they are better than the poor who deserve suffering and are helpless. They believe that they must know how to double their wealth that bring people’s respect and love. Thus materialism enslaves most of them in their youth and makes them act automatically to protect their material interests. This slaving deprives them of enjoying all the spiritual fields that manifest in their beneficial projects. 
A large number of children suffer from poverty and social regulations. Their poverty prevents them from getting what they want and desire and gradually they feel disappointed and weak. Similarly social regulations make them afraid of doing things that may fulfill their desires and wishes. So they grow fearful, deprived, and hesitant. Though the normal man has these qualities in little quantities, he is fearful of dangers; deprived of luxuries and hesitant to do wrong things; they are different. They fear of tomorrow, are deprived of basic needs and are hesitant to do good things that bring no quick material benefits. Fearfulness, deprivation, and hesitation are not the qualities of a free life; indeed they are symptoms of enslavement. 
Questions: 
-What are the things from which we must be free? 
-Who does enslave us? 
-How can we be free? 
-Share with me the answers. If you have any different view, send me your participation at Yemen Times Address. 
-Answers in the coming issue.
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