The Slavery of Childhood
M
ost of us are raised as slaves
. Our opinions are rarely sought, rules are rarely explained – and moral rules never are – we are shipped off to schools where we are treated disrespectfully; our subservience is bought with rewards, and our independence is punished with detentions. Scepticism and curiosity are scorned and belittled, while empty abilities like throwing balls, learning dates, sitting still and “being pretty” are praised and elevated.
Lies about our history become cages for our futures. Lies
about our own intelligence and originality lead us to the petty enslavement of “good citizenship” – and horrifying fairy tales about life in the absence of coercive or religious control scare us back into our slave pens the moment we even
think
of glancing outside to the green and beautiful hills beyond our bars.
Collective punishments turn us against each other; the
“kibbles and whips” of the classroom reward us for laughing at each other to gain the favor of the teacher; terrifying and brutal “morality” is inflicted upon us. We are punished for not treating those in authority with “respect” (do they treat
us
with respect?) – and we are bred for a life of subservience, fear, productivity and dependence as surely as fattened calves are bred for veal.
Where in the past we were not taught to fear the priests, but rather the imaginary devils
the priests warned us of, now we are not taught to fear our politicians, who can debase our currency, throw us in prison and send us to war – but rather we are taught to fear
each other
. We are taught to imagine that the real predators in this world are not those who control prison cells, national debts and nuclear weapons, but rather our fellow citizens, who in the absence of brutal control would surely tear us apart!
The entire purpose of state education is to make sure that we never truly
“leave” our childhoods: that we spend our lives trembling in fear of imaginary predators, begging for “protection” from those who threaten us with the most harm.
As sure as sunrise, we will grow and mature, leave the control of our parents
, and strive to make our way in the world.
As children
, we are slaves who will inevitably be “set free.”
How, then, can we
remain
enslaved?
Why through
false virtue
, of course.
But you’ll have to read my book
“On Truth: The Tyranny of Illusion”for that
!
Holding Our Own Chains…
Because our lives are so controlled by our political, familial and religious masters, we always and inevitably attempt to regain a sense of control by controlling
each other
.
We cannot control our politicians; we cannot control the church; we cannot control our parents
– and we are bullied and controlled by all these people – and so we turn in panic and fear to controlling
each other
, which makes the institutional control of all of us both possible and profitable.
To return to the incident outlined earlier, wherein I try to make my best friend like my new girlfriend, it is clear that I am really attempting to control my
own
anxiety – my knowledge of my own corruption and the corruption of those around me – rather than either my friend or my girlfriend.
What will the likely result of my
“control” be?
Well, if my girlfriend says something unpleasant or awkward, I will feel great anxiety
, and flash her look of anger or “concern.” If my best friend sighs or rolls his eyes in response to something my new girlfriend says, then I will rush in to “explain” what she “really” meant.
Basically, I will sprint back and forth throughout the conversation, trying to eliminate or explain away any symptoms of disapproval
or negativity.
What will the experience of my friend and girlfriend be?
Will they feel
free?
Will they feel that they can express themselves openly?
Of course not.
They will feel a rising irritation towards me – since no one likes to be manipulated and controlled for the sake of someone else’s anxiety.
My girlfriend will look at my frantic efforts to
“explain” her weird or awkward statements as insulting to her. My friend will see my actions as guilty and panic-stricken – and a foolish attempt to make him “respect” a woman
that I clearly do not respect
.
My girlfriend will also see that I am terribly and painfully vulnerable to any negative opinion that my
“best friend” might have of her.
Deep down, she very well understands that this is because
I share that negative opinion
.
In other words, I am only afraid of having my bag searched in a store if I have actually stolen something. In the same way, I am only afraid of a negative opinion of my girlfriend if at some level I share that opinion.
Seeing me strive to control my friend’s perception of her, she also clearly understands that I am very willing to sacrifice her own sense of self-esteem and social competency
if someone else disapproves of what she is doing
.
It becomes blindingly clear that I will sacrifice her happiness
– in other words, my good opinion of her – on the off chance that someone else might react negatively to her.
In other words, I will side with others against her.
Does this make her feel treasured? Does this make her respect my loyalty? Does this help her respect my integrity?
Of
course
not.
By elevating the power that my friend has in this situation, I automatically devalue my girlfriend – and thus myself.
However, the only reason that I wish to control the power that my friend has
is because I have given him that power in the first place
.
This is what I mean when I say that
all manipulation is self-manipulation
.
Trying to control my friend’s reaction to my girlfriend is as deranged as giving a gun to a madman, and then trying to talk him into giving me the gun back.