Are you a free person or a slave? I am defining a free person as someone who is in control of their own life and thinking for themselves, while a slave is someone who is either being controlled, or is in some other way tied into the system.

Looking from Maslow’s perspective, a free person is moving towards self actualisation, while a slave is stuck at the level of survival or self esteem needs. I also believe that a free person will embrace a laissez faire style of government, while a slave will be more comfortable with greater control of others.

Here is a comparison of the behaviour and beliefs of both:

Personal responsibility

Slave: Has devolved responsibility to government and/or employer. Has no ownership of own life. Sees self as a victim of forces outside of personal control. Accepts the dictates of fate. Does what is told.

Free person: Takes responsibility for own life. Proudly sets own path and makes his own way.

Thinking

Slave: Thinks as little as possible and prefers to let others think for her. He accepts whatever conclusion is offered without questioning, and at face value. Does not cope well with new ideas. When the ideas conflict with previously held beliefs, he violently rejects them (cognitive dissonance)

Free person: She thinks independently and logically, always testing each statement for truth and cutting through rhetoric to understand the implications and agendas. Is open to new ideas. Prepared to discard worn out but cherished ideas when challenged by truth and rebuild her psyche, even at the cost of person pain.

Finances

Slave: Does not plan for the future. Lives from hand to mouth. Does not plan finances carefully. Finds the concept of budgeting a personal affront. Materialistic and grasping. Buys on a whim, and based on the opinions of others. Prepared to purchase poor quality goods if offered. Quite happy to be burdened by debt if it helps meet a short term goal.

Free person: Carefully plans, budgets and invests. Always seeks long term objectives, mainly related to increasing personal freedom. Buys goods as needed and carefully selects the best quality. Purchases are not made to fill a void in the person’s soul, or to impress others, but to meet real needs.

Diversity

Slave: Does not appreciate any cultures outside of one’s own, or recognise different perspectives. Is bigoted, sexist and narrow minded. Will not accept the viewpoint of another person from a different culture. Does not treat others with respect.

Free person: Values diversity. Sees different viewpoints as a strength rather than a threat. Embraces other cultures. Treats all persons with respect.

Music, art and literature

Slave: Listens only to mainstream music, likes what he is told to like. Does not develop personal tastes of one’s own. Enjoys Big Brother and American Idol. Prefers “art forms” that celebrate banality, profanity and violence. Doesn’t understand any art or beauty, and despises those who do. Doesn’t read, or if she does, reads only the most non challenging trashy novels and magazines. Has an attention span limited to a single sound bite.

Free person: Listens to and enjoys a huge range of music, literature and art from various cultures and times. Sees beauty in art, or even in the most ordinary things. Builds his mind by reading a range of classical and contemporary works. Practices life long learning.

Employment

Slave: Lets employer control her life. Fears unemployment and has an irrational attachment to job. Works extra time, even if unpaid and to no personal benefit. Accepts less reward than is available. Is not learning anything new at job. Enjoys workplace politics rather than achievement and productivity.

Free person: Controls own employment, selects jobs that complement skills, likes and career direction. Puts own welfare and family first. Knows own value in the marketplace. Constantly acquires marketable skills. Focussed on maximising productivity – sees self as an independent contractor even when employed. Primary loyalty is to self.

Personality

Slave: Blames others for problems. Negative and feels powerless. Drifts aimlessly and is easily lead. Does not have self discipline or strength of character. Needy and dependent as relies on validation from others. Lacks self knowledge. Is a hollow shell with nothing inside.

Free person: Takes responsibility for own issues and is focussed on improvement of one’s own condition. Can draw on inner strength when required. Knows own limitations and capabilities. Has a rich inner world.
Interpersonal relationships

Slave: May have many superficial friends, but no close relationships. Sees people as a means to an end – a user. Not interested in the well being of others and self focussed. Aims to impress rather than earn rightful respect. Grasps for power and seeks to control others. Views all relationships in terms of hierarchies. Arrogant to those lower in the hierarchy, while fawning and subservient to those higher.

Free person: Has a few deep relationships, but is friendly to everyone (“can talk with kings but does not lack the common touch”). Does not seek power but naturally assumes leadership as the situation arises. Views others as equals. Benevolent and considers the fair interests of others.

Spiritual values

Slave: Has no spiritual values, though may give lip service to these at certain times. Has no sincere or deeply felt faith. Values based on what is expedient at the time. Despises those who has a spiritual dimension to their lives. Has an irrational hatred of God, in whatever form presented.

Free person: Spiritual values are the centre of life and are integral to the character of the person. These are clearly evidenced in behaviour. Is a seeker after spiritual truth.

Economic beliefs

Slave: Indoctrinated to believe that tax is “paying one’s way”. Strongly supports socialistic ideals, such as import tariffs, minimum wage constraints, progressive taxes, agricultural subsidies and believes that the government has an essential role in running the economy. Believes that one segment of society should subsidise another.

Free person: Is a trader and believes strongly in the operation of the free market. Pays taxes as required, but under no illusions that they are anything but a surcharge on the productive. Prepared to trade on fair terms, exchanging value with another for mutual benefit.

Politics

Slave: Believes in the use of force by government, whenever it can be used. Has a strong statist stance. Supports aggressive foreign policies. Says “there ought to be a law” and seeks increased regulation of society and increased government powers. Believes in a welfare state. Does not believe in privacy saying “what have I got to hide?”. Compliant and accepts the statements of government at face value. Will not consider living offshore.

Free person: Believes in absolute minimum powers for a government, perhaps restricted to law and order. Seeks to live a life without government interference. Does not believe in force (for example, to confiscate earnings) except in defense. Practices personal charity. Prepared to leave a repressive government. Considers government statements carefully and is immune to propaganda.

Tags: freedom, slave, sovereign individual

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 7th, 2007 at 8:46 pm and is filed under Self-actualization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.