When we think of slavery (or servility or subservience or self-abasement), we tend to conceptualize it as a purely external force exerting oppressive pressure on an otherwise free and resisting being.
Within this conceptualization, the free and resisting being only becomes a slave after force overpowers his freedom and resistance to oppression.
This force then smothers the free and resisting being into submission. Thus, slavery is the dominance of oppressive force over a conquered but otherwise innately free being.
This is all fine and well to a certain degree, but it limits slavery to an external imposition, thereby neglecting the reality that most forms of external slavery first arise deep within man himself -- that the exterior slavery man experiences is, more often than not, a form of slavery man has created for himself within his interior being.
Some slavery can be purely external, but most of the slavery we see around us today is the product of consciousness.
This tends to get lost in the mix because the only slavery we perceive and experience as slavery is that which manifests and plays out in the external world.
The external world certainly has the power and force to enslave, but this power is nothing compared to the internal power of man to enslave himself via consciousness.
Hence, our go-to conceptualization of slavery is sorely misguided because it casually ignores the reality of a purely external force exerting oppressive pressure on a servile and consenting being.
Within this conceptualization, the servile and consenting being was a slave long before he ever encountered the external oppressive force.
Such a being does not need to be overpowered or smothered because he was submissive long before the external power appeared. Such a being welcomes the external force and regards it as a liberator.
Thus, the appearance of an oppressive external power does little more than draw out the servile consciousness of such a being and renders it tangible and perceptible to those who are still able to discern between what constitutes a free and resisting being and what does not.
Within this conceptualization, the free and resisting being only becomes a slave after force overpowers his freedom and resistance to oppression.
This force then smothers the free and resisting being into submission. Thus, slavery is the dominance of oppressive force over a conquered but otherwise innately free being.
This is all fine and well to a certain degree, but it limits slavery to an external imposition, thereby neglecting the reality that most forms of external slavery first arise deep within man himself -- that the exterior slavery man experiences is, more often than not, a form of slavery man has created for himself within his interior being.
Some slavery can be purely external, but most of the slavery we see around us today is the product of consciousness.
This tends to get lost in the mix because the only slavery we perceive and experience as slavery is that which manifests and plays out in the external world.
The external world certainly has the power and force to enslave, but this power is nothing compared to the internal power of man to enslave himself via consciousness.
Hence, our go-to conceptualization of slavery is sorely misguided because it casually ignores the reality of a purely external force exerting oppressive pressure on a servile and consenting being.
Within this conceptualization, the servile and consenting being was a slave long before he ever encountered the external oppressive force.
Such a being does not need to be overpowered or smothered because he was submissive long before the external power appeared. Such a being welcomes the external force and regards it as a liberator.
Thus, the appearance of an oppressive external power does little more than draw out the servile consciousness of such a being and renders it tangible and perceptible to those who are still able to discern between what constitutes a free and resisting being and what does not.
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