A corner to call your own
Clean water should be free. I think the first step to freedom lies in how well your basic necessities are met. Glossing over ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs’ the very first step is meeting material necessities. Now the Netherlands has a very intricate and intelligent water system, making tap water safe to consume for little cost. This has a series of benefits which includes healthier eating, better financial management and the ability to focus on things beyond having to worry about proper hydration. This promotes individuals to be more ‘free’ in the sense of pursuing self-realisation. Yet there are countries around the world who require vastly higher amounts of expenses or physical effort to be able to afford or get access to regular clean water. One particularly interesting case pertaining to this issue of water is a town called Chamulas located in Mexico, that produces Coca Cola. This town is an exemplification that economic dependencies, ignorance of cause and mass hysteria can prevent the road to self actualisation. Their water is more expensive than coke, which has consequently led to a pandemic of diabetes in that town. To be inflicted with a disease due to your lack of material possession to procure a necessity that is quenching your thirst; and in the midst of that getting addicted to sugar laden soft drinks that has stemmed the progression of your deteriorating health is a violation of freedom. These people are living in ignorance who do not comprehend the health issues associated with drinking coke. Their culture has devolved into a parade of cola celebration, as the factory has become an essential part of their economic survival Ultimately, I am a strong believer that to reach a certain level of freedom, necessities such as water should be easily accessible.
Team members
- ■ Taiga Tanaka
- ■ Raul Boekhoudt
- ■ Andrew Crabtree
Why do you want to participate?
I think it would be fun to collaborate, engage and interact with people of my generation in what seems to be a space of reflection. A lot of our lives are spent on a fast track of getting an education, a degree; but sometimes I think a lot of us don’t take the time to step back and reflect on the available opportunities and ‘freedom’ that our modern, developed societies enables us to do so. Being able to discuss with one another what freedom constitutes as, what it means to us and how it can be delivered forward seems like a significant mission to be a part of.
What does freedom mean to you?
Freedom is volatile, fleeting but it can also be black and white. Majority of our day to day living calls for a rule, law, social conformity that restricts our actions either for the safety and good of others, or down to what is culturally and communally accepted. These “shackles” pertaining to communally, culturally and socially accepted norms are what can instigate pressure, stress, judgement onto others who do not conform, act differently, speak against or question the status quo. And so, based on the ‘conglomeration’ of pressures, societal or group expectations - we may not even know that we are participating in this perpetuating culture of ‘control’ and ‘expectations’ as we may agree or like to continue this communal ideology; and in certain cases we are of the opposing side of the coin, that being the individuals who are ‘restricted.’ What freedom means to me is when the environment and people that are around me do not make me feel like there is a looming sense of restriction. I can be as myself and I can do as I want (with safety and reason in mind of course). That is the ‘basic’ form of freedom that I like to attribute as the feeling of being rejuvenated, ‘relaxed.’ The conformities are unbounded and the pressure, the stress of expectations and judgement are waved. The black and white freedom as aforementioned pertains to material and financial freedom. More so in line with meeting basic necessities such as being able to afford healthy food, health care, living space, etc These are factors in which living can be painful, limiting and downright degrading. I was fortunate to be raised in a privileged household, but there are many I’ve met who have lived vastly different lives to mine as due to lack of financial support and unfortunate circumstances, and so they have had less freedom to do things they wished. Then there begs the question of ‘Free-will’ Is freedom even truly a conceivable concept? Is everything that I do governed by a series of biological fitness, of which has been coded for millions and billions of years since the origins of life? This energy that has been coded and propagated through the vast expanse of the universe, into the evolution of cells and finally through organisms? Am I merely a result of cascading chemical reactions or is there something more? Freedom is a weird thing, because I can never really tell if my actions are truly based on instinct, intuition or the present self. Finally to conclude my rambling monologue of reflection, freedom is to me what living feels like. The high being on the break for a goal in a football match, getting a moment of eurika where you think of something grand, the little victories we accumulate throughout life. These moments are what makes life feel full and ‘free.’
What are the biggest challenges?
Being financially free is a common goal that many of us younger people try to strive for. I think that for the most part, the basic necessities are a key part of achieving a sense of freedom. The biggest challenge now is how the economy is tied to a very one-sided framework that continues to make the rich, richer and harder for people who are starting out - us graduates. Another significant factor would be education and knowledge.
Do you have a message?
Not at the moment.
