Slavery

It was just another cycling trip towards my hostel, passing through the same old street, same old buildings, same old trees, and the same old eating joint, and the same old Archies’ Gallery. But something struck me as I passed this place.

There are a lot of people around us in this world, who would like us to continue to be what we are, so that we serve their interests. To achieve this objective, they invent many tools which repeatedly keep us loyal to them (or should I say, as slaves to them?). Firstly they make products that not only pander to our lower tastes, but also fuel them. They make us keep coming back for more. And secondly, they keep putting these in front of our eyes, wherever we go, so that we are constantly reminded of them. Thus, whenever we do not possess them, and we see these in the newspapers, television, large hoardings, we are going to make a dash to the nearest shop to fetch them. Some even go to the extent of do us things which we wouldn’t otherwise do, and over a period of time, make us feel dependent on doing them.

Take all the greeting card companies for example. They introduce the concept of sending a card with colourful pictures and sugary words to people about whom we care. It doesn’t matter even if those sugary words are not original. But we end up buying them, because we are made to feel nice when we send a card. And over a period of time, we are made to feel dependent on them to prove to people that we care. In this, those companies have won a mental battle over us, and have made our minds their eternal slaves.

Then there is a plethora of items related to clothing, fashion, cosmetics, that tell us that we need to look ‘good’, ‘attractive’, and ‘appealing’, and in order to achieve that you need to wear a certain kind of suit, use a certain kind of shaving cream, razor and soap, et cetera. There are all these people who decide that we should eat more of ‘pizzas’, ‘burgers’ and French fries, and not idlys and dosas.

Like these, there are men doing many things, selling different products. But they all have one thing in common: to make people their slaves, and sell themselves to their marketing gimmicks, so that they flourish. One might say that all this has a place in the large scheme of things. But, in the end, the fact remains that we end up as dependent slaves to these fellows. Just ask yourself this: how much of what you are today is a slave to these men who make things you ‘need’ and ‘want’.