“Freedom is the choice of which master to serve” – @askmefast19
The above quote is from my pinned tweet on Twitter. It is a paraphrase from a realisation that came to me during a moment of meditation when I was 19.
“Freedom is an illusion, freedom is the choice to which master you submit.”
Since my mind opened to this, I see it evident everywhere, in every social construct; religion, politics and all the way through to BDSM.
There is nothing of our existance that exists in such isolation that nothing else matters. Even if we shunned everything and lived alone on a deserted island, there would be certain basic rules which we would have no choice but to follow in order to live. We would need to drink, eat and respect the forces of nature.
I saw a comic strip many years ago along the lines of:
“What uniform is that you are wearing?”
“Oh this, I have just joined the army of nonconformists.”
Here is another popular anexdote:
“You’re so luck you’re the boss, you don’t have to report to anyone!”
“Well true, I don’t have one boss, I have many. Every client is my boss.”
I mention these to illustrate that no matter what our station in life or individual circumstances, there are always a set of rules that govern us. At this point you may think of exceptions that might spring to mind, circumstances where choice is impossible or non-existant. These might range from what choice does a newborn baby have, a drug addict homeless on the streets, slavery or anyone phycally or mentally imprissioned.
There are no simple answers for those in these forms of existence. For the vast majority of us ,we always have a choice. The options that we have to choose from may feel impossible, they may be exeptionally limited or even perhaps all severly dire, there is still choice.
For me, when I realised that I can choose and that I have choosen, it gave me a sense of liberty, it empowered me.
When I started learning and exploring the area of BSDM and in particular the Domme/sub dynamic, I found that the submitting to and controlling of another person fell completely within my definition of freedom.
The sub has an intrinsic need to submit, to choose to give control and enter a state of mindful obedience. For the sub the choice to submit is the epitome of freedom. From the inherent irony in this, it is easy to see the title of this post “Freedom is an illusion”.
But what about the Domme, what illusion is there to the control that they have and the power they can exert? Surely this is quite explicit. In a healthy and concenting Domme/sub relationship there are rules, rules that both submit themselves to.
Freedom is glibly understood by many to mean “able to choose whatever you want to do, with no limits” and there are serveral lenses through which people see this freedom. Some of these are accountability, choice, resource and power.
For me regardless how much resource and power someone might have, they will at some point always be accountable. I say to you that even these people don’t exist in a vaccum without rules.
Comparing yourself to those that appear to have unlimted freedom, I say don’t. Embrace the choice you do have and claim the liberty within yourself. Freedom may be an illusion but you are real, you can choose.