A new type of freedom is demanded for youth

IT was, indeed, a long walk to freedom; one that demanded blood, toil, sweat and tears. Freedom was hard-won, victory was euphoric, and the day should be celebrated with joyous yet solemn respect.

Freedom Day is now firmly entrenched in our collective experience, linked to the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

But there are other threats to freedom, especially when it pertains to our beloved youth who are the beneficiaries of what our forebears fought for, and won: freedom of speech, conscience, movement, association, expression and belief.

But there are many ways our freedom can still be inhibited or curtailed, and with innocent hands, so to speak.

It may be said that what we hated enslaved us; now, it is more likely that what we love will enslave us.

It could well be that the things we love, rather than those that oppress us, are the true enemies of freedom.

The love affair people have today with entertainment, image, irrelevance, influencers, trends, affluence, pleasure and all the other things that dominate the hours spent soaking up social media, could end up robbing us of true freedom.

For many, we love the things that undo our capacity to think, if only because they distract us from more useful pursuits or the more serious issues of life.

Entertainment trumps information, at any time, and pictures easily eclipse words.

Is the ‘screen generation’ slowly and steadily becoming enslaved?

The question now is: what are the factors that inhibit freedom, and what form do they take?

Poverty, crime, fear, abuse, sickness and many more things enslave us.

Those who survive on grants and handouts are not free. All dependency is a prison.

The poor, jobless, illiterate and homeless do not enjoy freedom; they remain unliberated.

We have to give our minds to these serious matters – but we can’t if our heads are totally preoccupied with the irrelevant.

Promises of progress and making things better for the masses have simply not been fulfilled: but they will be repeated this time around and will be believed by those who haven’t taken the time for reflection and investigation. Please don’t fall for the hype. You are free to choose, but do so wisely and thoughtfully, lest you find yourself chained.