Would you rather be a slave or dead? Most would choose slavery due to an innate sense of self preservation, not a fun choice to make, but one with a relatively logical outcome.
However what if I asked would you rather be free or dead?……
What a stupid question I hear you cry, of course I would rather be free! However I have been pondering this seemingly pointless question (originally sourced from a fictitious novel in which a woman forced into slavery is unable to function -nor does she desire to- once set “free”)
Looking at the circumstances in which this novel is based some would say this woman is clearly suffering from Stockholm syndrome and has developed an attachment to her kidnapper. On the surface this does appear to be the case, however, she does not wish to return to her old life as she feels she discovered true happiness within her slavery, and therefore, freedom. Eventually she chooses death over freedom as her new found freedom is actually a far worse situation.
She was enslaved into freedom. She was free in her slavery.
Is it possible that one cannot truly say what freedom is until they have had all of their perceived “freedoms” taken from them, if we nothing are we not truly free?
I’m rambling, so onward with my musings, I can’t help but speculate that by choosing death over freedom I would be choosing the only true freedom there is.
Not that I have any sort of death wish or suicidal tendency, nor do I feel I would have any occasion to truly be forced to answer this question.
I am, however, sure that in some circumstances death would indeed be a preferable choice to freedom, if that freedom took away all you valued in your life…….
li5asminddump 