Just as on DIF, there is a group here who insist I am a slave. Apparently that is because I do a job and get paid and it is despite the fact I am so free to do tons of very different things from

-chose who I am friends with
-where I work
-where I live
-what I do with my spare time
-if I worship or not
-who or if I vote
-if or how many kids I have
-if or who I marry/partner with

the list could go on and on. I am nothing like a true slave and other people here from the UK are the same. To equate me and even themselves with a real slave is an illusion of their own making.

A Quote:

Today, I have one more such striking proverb for all the readers of this website. As Osho says, this is an Arabic proverb. The proverb is as follows-

Never wake up a slave, he might be enjoying freedom in his dreams.

What makes this proverb very special is its relevance in today’s times. This Arabic proverb, though was commonly used in Arab regions, as I feel, is apt for all- on a global level. It stands out like a universal truth in any part of the world. Sadly, we are free only in our dreams. When we are awake, we are slaves- of our mind, of other people’s minds, of our desires and what not.

Giving this proverb a bit of thought will take us to this realization- we are slaves when we are awake. The thing is, we are not aware when we are awake. Just open eyes do not make someone awake. To be awake, one has to be aware. And as Osho says, only the aware ones can be free. Awareness brings freedom, everything else is slavery.

But, he also goes beyond this proverb. He says, it is absolutely important to get up. Freedom in dreams is not the freedom, it is phony and unreal. It is better to be an awake slave than a free person in the dreams. I agree with Osho entirely. Are we all free or slaves? Ask yourself. Yes, we know the answer!

Huxley gave insight into this as a part of his ultimate revolution speech. Getting people to love their servitude. This is why we are so 'free'. We are given enough scope for choice to keep us comfortable and seemingly content. So long as we play the game.
Try to stop playing the game though and things get more clear.
Try walking out into an ancient woodland and going wild. You will be stopped if the authorities become aware of your presence.

dubmeup wrote:
Depends on whose woodland it is. Finding someone living wild in your house would result in you calling the authorities. You living wild in your house, up to you.

It absolutely does not depend on who owns the wood. You yourself could own the wood...if you don't jump through the 25 foot high hoops you will be kicked off. Many many precedents for that.
As you likely know.
How could you live wild in a house? Foraging for mould spores and hunting woodlice?
Oh yeah you can't.

"Freedom" may come at a price many are not prepared to pay.

Some sort of minor servitude may be acceptable, if it is balanced by a life of reasonable comfort and reasonable contentment.

It is not for everyone to be a yogi in a Himalayan cave living on prana!

Service to others is imo something of a necessity. Be that our sprogs, brothers, sisters.....or folk we have never met. I fully embrace it.
Servitude is not the same thing.

Trading your labour for money which you need to live is not servitude. It is an alternative to bartering.

However, slavery is servitude. The line between service and servitude is a blurred one, though.

dubmeup wrote:
You could forage for food, round the backs of supermarkets. Go skip raiding for other goods. There are guides to urban foraging for wild plants and lots of animals to eat.

www.wildfoodschool.co.uk/urban/

You could well find that there is more food to forage in the city than in your wood. You have not put much thought into this.

Barnfish wrote: 'Slave' is a strong word. But none of the things you listed are a threat or even detrimental to the interests that control society. As soon as you do things that are a threat to them, you will soon find out how free you are.

Also, to paraphrase Bill Hicks, you will find out very quickly if you don't have money that it's not a remotely free society.

Barnfish wrote:
Skip raiding will get you arrested under trespass law.
As for so called wild land, its owned by somebody somewhere. If you try to build your own home in the wild you can get arrested for it and the property destroyed.

Barnfish wrote:
Wow i'd never thought of dumpster diving.
Have you done it? I have. Lots.
What does that have to do with living wild in a house?
Nada zilch and diddly squat thats wot.
You do come across as didtinctly troll rather often.

We give people free money (paid for by those who work). That's hardly a society of servitude.

At this point i could reference the 90's criminal justice act, the battle of the beanfield and similar acts of state aggression/enforcement, all the 'freemen' and their abject failures.....etc etc.
But i won't.


Oh wait....hang on a mo...

Verlander wrote: what do bankers have to do with it?
Or the queen?
Oh you mean doleys?
They get free money and that means we are free?

Verlander wrote:
I always considered it an insurance policy.
Conversely the government take money off you and do things that you really don't want.....

dubmeup wrote:
Immigrants/doleys/immigrants/doleys...just another wingnut WUM innit.

Space Bandit wrote:
Indeed. And I don't necessarily want people to get free money - not unless they are genuinely incapable of serving and earning it themselves.

Verlander wrote:
The trouble is some people seem to think that the unemployed are the greatest takers and of more importance to concentrate on than the guys sat in yachts in the carribbean who not only get shitloads for nothing but pay sod all tax.
32 trillion in the caymans is not important to these people. Just the 3% of the DWP budget that needs cutting more because 'britain' needs it.
The fact that there is enough money lying around to completely change the world as we know it is of no consequence.

Verlander wrote:
a) it's not free money.
b) it is necessary for capitalism to have an excess supply of labour to keep wages low, in effect meaning jobs are rationed.
Maybe those people who are out of work should just die it'd save a load of cash & I'm certain we'd see a massive reduction in taxation () but I'm more concerned about businesses getting cheap labour through the use of working tax credits. Another example of your labour productivity going towards stuff you don't want.... such is the price of freedom.