On freedom
“ ‘Perhaps most people in the world aren’t trying to be free, Kafka. They just think they are. It’s all an illusion. If they really were set free, most people would be in a real bind. You’d better remember that. People actually prefer not being free.’ ” - Haruki Murakami
The above passage is from Murakami’s novel Kafka on the Shore, which The Boston Globe called “a fabulous trail through identity, mythology, philosophy, and dreams.” I’d liken his style to that of the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez - both ask their readers to accept injected surreal experiences (like a man talking to cats or fish falling from the sky) amidst the fairly standard narrative arc. I’m really enjoying it, especially since it is also peppered with little philosophical nuggets like the quote above. At first reading, it can feel harsh, but the speaking character, Oshima, goes on:
“ ‘I prefer being unfree, too. Up to a point. Jean-Jacques Rousseau defined civilization as when people build fences. A very perceptive observation. And it’s true - all civilization is the product of a fenced-in lack of freedom. The Australian Aborigines are the exception, though. They managed to maintain a fenceless civilization until the seventeenth century. They’re dyed-in-the-wool free. They go where they want, when they want, doing what they want. Their lives are a literal journey. Walkabout is a perfect metaphor for their lives. When the English came and built fences to pen in their cattle, the Aborigines couldn’t fathom it. And, ignorant to the end of the principle at work, they were classified as dangerous and antisocial and were driven away, to the outback. […] The people who build high, strong fences are the ones who survive the best. You deny that reality only at the risk of being driven into the wilderness yourself.’ “
I’ve written before about holding the tension of opposites; so much of life requires this. Thinking about this passage, I asked myself - what is the opposite of freedom? We - especially here in America - think about slavery being the opposite of freedom. But this passage is showing something different: dependence. I find myself agreeing with this exploration - most of us don’t want to be completely free. We want to enjoy the benefits of stability and safety that come with participating in broader society. We choose a level of dependence - to our partners, our families, our communities, our governments; and I don’t think that is wrong. There is order that arises from dependency; your mind is freed from having to solve all problems all the time.
If you think about this pairing, is there a spot in your life where you should relax your pursuit of freedom and see instead you should accept dependency? Is there a place you have been complacent in dependency that you should exercise more freedom? Both are likely highlighted with a sense of resentment.
The good news is: no matter which way the pendulum needs to swing to achieve balance, you have access to self-determination to make that choice.
Be well, beautiful people.
