Freedom in mind or body?

Although the picture shown is not a very recent photo I believe the ideas portrayed in this elaborate piece perfectly exemplify the ideas of the text and the constant battle between the primal urge of “natural liberty” (Rousseau 115) and the socially accepted “civil liberty” (Rousseau 115). To me this picture has two distinct voices, which the context of the photo would help elaborate on, one which tells the story of a man trapped within the confines of society unable to escape the chains imposed upon him and the unrelenting pressure to conform and achieve acceptance, and another which shows how, when given the chance, we all escape briefly back to our native state where there are no rules or norms imposed upon us and where we can truly do whatever we wish. I took this photo last year when each of my friends, without exception, was attempting to fit ourselves into this same locker just to prove we can and, if for nothing else, because one of us thought of doing it first. I believe that this unconscious urge to obey without question is one of the main points Rousseau makes in his book when discussing how “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains” (114). Another connection which could be drawn from the context of the photo and Rousseau’s discussion is that even “one who thinks he is the master of others, [is] more enslaved than they are” (114) since even the friend who started this odd trend was simply trying to fit into our society by standing out as a remarkable member. In his attempt to rise above the ranks he was simply travelling along the predetermined path in the pursuit of popularity and solidarity within the confines of “civil liberty, which is limited by the general will” (Rousseau 115) and thus dictated by those who have come before and those who will be remembered after. The opposing side of this picture, and of Rousseau’s discussion, is the urge to escape back to one’s primal, animalistic state. Although we were simply following in each other's footsteps each of us was doing so to achieve our own sense of freedom and liberty through this ‘rebellious’ action. We were doing something we were not supposed to and by doing so achieved a rush that is nearly absent amongst the societies of today who are more than pleased to sit idly by as the entirety of the earth shifts beneath their feet. By contorting ourselves in a ridiculous attempt to fit into this locker we were slowly achieving “natural liberty, which is limited only by the individual’s powers” (Rousseau 115) and breaking away from the “moral aspect” (Rousseau 114) limiting our “physical impulses” (Rousseau 114). The voice of my photo is torn between our need to fit into the trend of following the trend and our want to break away from that very cycle by simply relishing in anarchy. Similarly I believe that the main idea of Rousseau’s text is that the nature of Man is divided between the collective pressure of conformity in civil liberty and the individual’s pressure of power, limited only by personal will, in natural liberty. This conflict and duality of man is what promotes the constant struggle we witness about us by those who are attempting to be free by willingly following others into obedience.

Work’s Cited

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. "The Social Contract." Shifting Narratives: A Reader            for Academic Writing. Ed. Sinno Zane, Bioghlu-Karkanawi Lina, Fleszar              Dorota, Jarkas Najla, Moughabghab Emma, Nish Jennifer, Rantisi Rima,            Ward Abir. Beirut: Educart (Middle East), 2015. 113-16. Print.