Frequently when we talk of Slavery, we refer to the forced labour that was associated with the slave trade. But that era has come and gone, yet some people are still enslaved by several modern-day trappings. We are enslaved by habits and by commitment, by commercial needs and love by our children, by the political system, etc.
As long as you are not in a position to dictate what you do and how you do it, or cannot fight the cost of living, or decide if you should pay for the many demands that life has thrown our way, consider yourself enslaved.
Sadly, some of it is imposed by ourselves, yet some are imposed because of lifestyle or commitment, or just the need to survive.
There are those who work in the private and public sector that their day never seems to end because regardless of the set time of their employers, if they don’t go the extra mile, or extend their working hours, they are referred to at the workplace as none committed, or not being a team player.
There are also the over-commitments that go with being a parent, when in some cases your children expect that you should commit to their every need and their part is determined by their own choice of lifestyle.
There are friends, family, as well as common people, especially those you are supposed to be in love with, who expect you to slave in the interest of their needs and wants.
Then there is mental slavery dictated by the system, both locally as well as internationally, that dictates that you toe the line, so in essence, life has become a kind if enslavement.
That Freedom of Choice, or Freedom to Choose, or to decide your own destiny, is most times superficial, because in one way or another, we are all enslaved.
We cannot stand alone or become non-committal because we are part of the vicious circle established to enslave us.
The worst of that enslavement has to do with social habits, what we eat, and drink are all habits we cannot deviate from, and even when it is harmful to us, we sometimes seem to have no choice.
We cannot build where we want, travel where we want, get the job we want, far less love who we want; it’s all about compromising, or going with the flow so that we don’t stand out like a sore thumb.
So, while we try desperately to denounce slavery, I think that as mankind we are stuck in a mode of slavery that is unavoidable.
As to how we become victims of this victorious circle, your guess is as good as mine, but I wish you all a Good Emancipation Day and Month or even Emancipation Season, considering the state seems to think that more will have to be done in the name of Emancipation, while the system continues to put the noose around our necks.
Freedom is the hardest thing in life to attain, so let’s consider this food for thought for your emancipated lunch, whatever you choose to eat this long Emancipation Day holiday weekend!