Francis Berger
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Slaves Well Before They Became Slaves

2/9/2023

3 Comments

 
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.  
3 Comments
JMSmith
2/12/2023 13:56:20

This is what Aristotle called natural slavery. It's not altogether bad since human society only works when most humans are submissive. In fact, a completely chaotic society is one where there are too many chiefs and not enough indians.

With that said, I agree that servility is not admirable in the realm of consciousness, The mind should be free. It does not follow that the tongue should be free as well. It is one thing to have an idea, quite another to set it loose in the world.

Reply
Francis Berger
2/12/2023 19:41:35

@ JM - Contra Aristotle, I suppose you could also argue that human society ceases to work when most humans are submissive. Only indians and no real chiefs. Another form of chaos that is not much better than the too many chiefs model.

Freedom requires that one serve. Who or what one chooses to serve is a choice made in freedom. It's regarded as a burdensome choice, but it really shouldn't be. There are choices to serve that make us freer, and choices to serve that enslave us. Knowing the difference is not always easy but efforts to discern the difference should be made.

Reply
Francis Berger
2/12/2023 20:06:28

@ JM - And I should add that "serve" is a tricky word and concept, especially from a spiritual perspective. Aristotle's natural slavery is part of the master-slave paradigm. The problem with that paradigm enslaves both the masters and the slaves. Neither is truly free.

The master-slave relationship is unavoidable to a certain degree in temporal affairs, but it should not rule spiritual life. One can be a "natural slave" and still be "spiritually free".

Christianity should be a religion of freedom. It should be based on the solid understanding that Jesus was not a 'master' and that He did not want 'slaves or servants'.

Much domes down to distinguishing between so-called natural slavery and spiritual slavery.


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