Freedom
by
George Bernard Shaw
(Summary)
George Bernard Shaw was gifted with a very
broad, incisive and creative mind. As a novelist and playwright, he stands
shoulder to shoulder with Shakespeare. In analyzing philosophical issues, his
acumen was par excellence. Even when dealing with mundane matters, he could
profess deeply insightful ideas that earned him admiration from all corners of
the world. G.B. Shaw’s contribution to Britain’s intellectual life was immense.
He won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The essay, Freedom, is one of those
controversial essays that upends the conventional understanding of the word
‘Freedom’.
Shaw dismisses the lofty perception about ‘freedom’ held by those who think they enjoy it. He states how, a human being, in order to stay alive, must eat, drink, sleep, wash, and do other bodily functions. Even if he goes into voluntary hibernation, he can’t avoid doing these functions. Nearly half of his day goes for these mundane inescapable functions. Nature and the Creator rob the humans of half of
their freedom. A human has to work for a living. Wealthy
people need not work, but they must walk, do certain minimal works at home.
They have to produce food, clothing, and a host of other goods and commodities
to cater to their needs for a comfortable living. Women suffer more as they
have to bear children, apart from doing household chores to keep the tradition
of family going. So, even for a very rich woman, slavery is un-avoidable.
Nature
has mandated that we feed ourselves at regular intervals. To keep food on our
table, we need to grow it in the fields. This steals some of our freedom, but
the problem gets worse when we are made to toil in someone else’s farm. Elections
give us our freedom to choose our government, but this is a deception in a
grand scale. The elected ones form the government that continues the practices
of its predecessor. Man is enslaved by both Nature and his fellow human beings.
Nature forces us to eat, drinking, to sleep, and to raise a family. One never
detests eating, sleeping or living in a home. So, humans have little to
complain against the slavery enforced by Nature. It makes our life so joyous.
Shaw
felt that the institutions like the Parliament, schools and the newspapers are
used by the exploiting ‘master class’ to brainwash the general public,
especially, the poor and the powerless to believe that everything is fair in
the society, and everyone enjoys the optimal degree of freedom. The poor and
the toiling classes are told that the government takes away some 25% to 50% of
their incomes as taxes, cleverly concealing the fact that poor are working
almost twice hard under the ‘just’ society as they would work if they were
free. Voltaire and Rousseau and Tom Paine, Cobbett and Shelley, Karl Marx and
Lasselle have protested against this oppressive parasitic structure for
centuries. England sides with the tyrannical kings and emperors who thrive on
slavery, and wages war against the revolutionaries, who, fired with the
revolutionary ideals, stand up to the state. The joining of hands between an
oppressive empire and the government of Britain culminated in the victory at
Waterloo.
Through
a process of aggressive and clever brain-washing, the social system convinces
the have-nots that they are being fairly treated. This, according to G. B.
Shaw, hoodwinks and deludes the have-nots to the point of submission. However,
this huge propaganda exercise of delusion affects the poor in no smaller
measure than it affects the affluent and the privileged class.
The
son of an affluent family goes to the elite schools, colleges and universities,
gets the best of what the society can offer towards his upbringing and emerges
to qualify for the coveted jobs in government, industry, businesses and in
public life. His mind gets conditioned to believe that he deserved the high
status in society as much as he deserved the highly privileged upbringing in
his early years. Thus, the historic injustice inbuilt in the system is never
challenged.
The
poor semi-literate, and struggling citizens do not and can’t accept with
equanimity the logic behind discriminatory treatment meted out to them. They do
not quite accept as to why they should get a smaller pie of the nation’s wealth
compared to the ‘worthy’ citizens, whom they serve as servants, butlers, peasants,
factory workers and other such low-paid menial workers. If they express their
resentment in any visible and disruptive manner, they face the heavy hand of
the law-enforcement arm of the government.
Shaw
is aware of the fact that his views may not be quite agreeable to a good number
of his listeners. So, he decides to be less combative in preaching what he
believes. He asserts that he does not want his talks to create controversies.
As a word of advice, he tells his listeners that a certain degree of
intelligence is needed to appreciate his arguments. A listener devoid of this,
is likely to draw dangerous conclusions from his arguments. That would be
undesirable.
Shaw
argues that to be called a slave might be considered derogatory by most
citizens, but for running a society, slaves are indispensable. Aristotle maintained
that slaves are essential for running governments with their system of law and
order. The privileged persons must have an aura of superiority around them. They
must dress well, eat well, speak with polished accents, live in mansions, move
around in expensive cars, must not do any of their personal works themselves.
Servants must cook his food, brush his dress and carry his bags.
Shaw
feels that man can never be truly free because Nature takes out nearly 12 hours
from a day’s 24 hours. He was to relax, sleep, and wash. Any curtailment in
this puts his health in jeopardy. In the rest 12 hours, he has to work either
for himself in his own fields or for his employer to be able to earn a living. In
a civilized society, one has to abide by so many rules. Breach of these rules
invites the heavy hand of the police. Society’s laws are not always
undesirable. When applied uniformly, they prove to be boon rather than bane in
one’s life.
Shaw
says that in the present form and practice of society, the influence of the
landlord and the employer may be overpowering. The employer decides what
uniform you will wear in the work place, how long you will work, or even the
tenure of your job. He can dismiss you from service at his will, pushing you to
the streets. If the office hours are 12, you are left with no time for yourself
because, the Nature has already claimed 12. The Union can call for a strike,
but then that means no job and no income. Voluntary or involuntary, strike
means no income and subsequent starvation.
If
you work for just eight hours instead of 12, you are left with four hours for
yourself. If you want to spend this time reading a book or going to a film, you
must afford to buy the book or the ticket to the movie. In either case you must
have money to spare. More sadly, if your duty involves long manual slog, you
will return home to hit bed at the earliest. Then, the ‘free’ four hour goes
for relaxation, not for recreation.
Shaw
assumes that nearly nine out of 10 citizens want freedom. Shaw turns to Iago of
Shakespeare for guidance. Iago had counseled his followers to earn money and
enrich oneself monetarily. But how to earn more money when wages are limited
and determined by others? So, it is not a very practical solution, Shaw feels.
He thinks the prevalent politics needs to be radically changed if true freedom
can be made accessible to ordinary folks. Till then, we should stop celebrating
our freedom, which is hollow and deceptive. Shaw suggests that ‘leisure’ is the
nearest equivalent word of ‘freedom’. People should demand more money and more
scope for leisure in exchange of a reasonable amount of work.
Shaw
then expresses his disdain for the system of elections and political parties.
The politician is an anarchist who deserves to be prosecuted and punished
rather than respected and trusted upon. He fears that most people can’t make
judicious use of their free hours. One needs education and healthy conditioning
of mind to make good use of wealth and leisure.
Shaw
asks his listeners to choose between:
i.
Eight hours of daily work, higher
earning and scope to retire at 45
ii.
Four hours of work a day, but no scope
for retirement till the age of 70
In a
lighter vein, Shaw asks his listeners to confide not in him but in their wives
about their preferred choice in this riddle.
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