14 Days of Freedom: Day 14

Well, looks like I screwed up somewhere along the line, and now 14 Days of Freedom will finish today instead of tomorrow. Not the biggest loss in the world, but it does make me feel a bit like an idiot...oh well, tomorrow I can make the last blog post of the year all reflective and profound.

...So how do I sum this up? I'll start from the beginning, I suppose - it makes sense to. Do not acquiesce to power, especially when basic freedoms (like those of speech and expression) are being trampled on. There's a line there - a very stark line, I must say - and disregarding human rights crosses that line. Build your own communities, not those built by the self-interested. Stick your neck out, other people be damned, and work together. Don't stereotype others. Think for yourself. Be inclusive, not elitist.

If a system oppresses many more than it helps, it is wrong. Humans are resourceful and good at changing things - even systems. We've done it before and we can do it again. Don't be passive, participate, and don't let anyone tell you what to do, only to advise you. Action works - well, it works better than doing nothing. Put your differences aside and don't fight yourselves when you've got bigger things - like an approaching dystopia - to take care of. It is largely hopeless, and you can't trust governments, corporations or anything that doesn't put humanity first, but hold your head up quietly and defiantly if it helps. And it is hard work.

Like all things in life, the message is mixed: on one hand there's hope, vitality and fire, and on the other a sense of the weight of oppression and hard slog. Then again, this is life we're talking about - that confused, contradictory thing which is sometimes beautiful, sometimes painful, but is mostly very mundane, a bit overrated, and doesn't deserve the various epithets bestowed upon it by writers since we first figured out how descriptions worked. Plus it's utterly absurd.

I cannot and will not force you to do anything. But things only look like they're going to get worse, sadly, if no-one else turns up or attempts to take action. Wake up. Think, especially before trusting big organisations. It's hard work with not much hope, but somebody needs to do it, and nobody will do it for you.

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