A Dull Gray

Noura Al Bistami

Ms. Dania Adra

English 203

October 10, 2015

A Dull Gray

            From the beginning of human civilization, people have been put under the umbrella of ‘class’. The top class assumes most power and wealth, whereas the bottom class resides below human conditions. The question at hand is, is this fair? Is there a way to rule people without having a black or white world of rich vs. poor? This wheels in the question of freedom – are we as free as we think we are? The mind on its own has its liberty to cross boundaries, however our actions are indeed limited. Jean- Jacques Rousseau has tackled this problem in his most famous work “The Social Contract”, published in the 18^th century. Although he discusses it in terms of the French Revolution, it applies for the world today. This shows how time does not truly impact human behavior, and it is almost disappointing to note.

            Rousseau tackles key subjects that feed into answering the questions above, and he does so through his own voice and opinion, and not by merely stating facts. He emphasizes action over thought/voice, and does so by setting himself as an example, “I wouldn’t waste my time saying what should be done; I would do it, or keep quiet” (Rousseau 114). This shows a rather disappointing tone towards people who are indeed in charge and in legible positions who are merely speaking rather than acting, and he criticizes them immensely. He also mentions the idea of liberty. “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains” (Rousseau 114), is a rather prominent quote due to its irony. However, I don’t believe that man is born free at all. Man is born into his society, into his social hub, and into his social class nonetheless. A man is born free in terms of responsibilities, however, which could tie into his use of the word “chains” (although he indeed meant slavery on different levels). He mentions how people in charge assume they are free, only to realize that there is a stronger power above. I believe that the minute power is abused, regardless of its degree, the situation resulted is in fact catastrophic, however the time needed to reach that catastrophe. The abuse of power is evident in almost every country in our world today, and has been a key subject in politics since the very beginning of politics anyway. I was born into a country so broken its government doesn’t even exist… thus I am well aware of corruption. Not only do I see it, but I breathe it, live it, and quite angrily, I endure it. Rousseau also mentions instinct vs. moral, and how our actions have changed immensely due to our shift from instinctual thoughts to “the voice of duty” (Rousseau 114). I liked the end where it shows how life is indeed gray, because he mentions how you are always one step front and back simultaneously. This brings in the topic of possession, and how we assume possession of everything we own is a ‘benefit’ of the social contract (Rousseau 115), as he bluntly put it. The idea of possession in itself perplexes me; do we actually possess anything? We don’t even posses our own bodies—they are controlled by medications, foods, water, and so on… all of which are controlled by the government and others. Our bodies are influenced heavily on the inside. What about the exterior? We ‘possess’ our own identity, but we are not allowed to look a certain way? Do we really own anything other than our own thoughts? (Do we even own that too??)

            I chose this picture to relate to the text for two reasons: Firstly, it’s gray. Secondly, it shows just how inconsiderate a person may be in terms of what they ‘possess’. I parked my car sensibly in the vast parking lot of Zaytuna Bay, where numerous empty slots were open. It was about 4:30 PM in the summer, and this area begins to crowd immensely by roughly 6:00 PM. I was so taken back by this strange human being that I decided to photograph it and send it to my friends, mocking this person’s idiocy quite honestly. This shows how man assumes he has the freedom to choose where to park regardless of any other person who may need the space. This ‘freedom’ is greed, it is nonsense, and mostly, it is truly dumb. I see no point in parking this way whatsoever, and I still wonder what this person was feeling upon deciding to be this selfish. This picture supports the main idea of liberty as well as social class. Perhaps this person is of a higher class and assumes he/she has power over others due to their position? Perhaps this person chose instinct over morals when they decided right then and there that no one would need the parking space? Or perhaps, they assumed they had the freedom to park wherever due to the three separate parking spaces?? Regardless, I see this picture as an extension of many topics discussed above, including living in a country so broken, the people themselves are beginning to lose it.

Works Cited:

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. "The Social Contract." Shifting Narratives. Ed. Zane Sinno, Lina Bioghlu-Karkanawi, Dorota Fleszar, Najla Jarkas, Emma Moughabghab, Jennifer Nish, Rima Rantisi, and Abir Ward. 1st ed. Beirut: Educart, 2015. 113-15. Print.