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By: Brianna Johnson

C Co on nt te en nt ts s: :
Introduction..2
Your Role.3
I Zonk, Therefore I am4
The Freedom Paradox5
Hoard Stuff, Feel Better7
Self-Reliance.8
What We Need..10
2

Freedom is everything in the modern Western world. It helps build every political
speech, every army recruitment commercial. Our freedom is brandishedin the face
of international threats or internal doubts. Regardless of religion, race, or political
party, we all bow down in worship of freedom.
We are living in the shadow of the America Revolution, only there are far fewer
people trying to oppress us nowadays. Despite this, freedom still reigns as our main
objective, our big treasure that we keep safely buried in the sand.
Have we developed a hypersensitivity to anything that threatens complete and
immediate freedom? The recent NSA controversy sparked more citizen outrageand
media attention than most ongoing injustices like violence or poverty could ever
hope to muster. Things rarely warrant the kind of attention that the NSA
controversy received. Why? Because personal freedom trumps all.
It seems that ignorance has become our right- one of the many that reside under our
unwavering freedom. We dont have to know or care about others pain. We dont
have to be informed to vote.
These ideas might sound harsh and overly critical. After all, who would have the
nerve to bash freedom? But thats not really what this is.
Consider this: America was founded on the ideology of freedom because it was
scarce and direly needed at the time. There is no longer a scarcity of freedom in
America, but rather an influx of it. Thus our efforts should shift toward what is
scarce and aim for more of it. However, were not really doing that yet. We still cling
to freedom, our receipt of past victories.
So what is scarce in the age of freedom? Individual growth. Individual values that
arent lax, and individual focus on what matters. Notice how individual precedes
all of them? These things are internal. They pertain not to society, but to each
person in it.
I I d do o t th hi in nk k t th he e p pa at tr ri io ot ti ic c t th hi in ng g t to o d do o i is s t to o c cr ri it ti iq qu ue e m my y c co ou un nt tr ry y. . H Ho ow w e el ls se e d do o y yo ou u
m ma ak ke e a a c co ou un nt tr ry y b be et tt te er r b bu ut t b by y p po oi in nt ti in ng g o ou ut t i it ts s f fl la aw ws s? ? B Bi il ll l M Ma ah he er r
People who truly love America dont want it to revert backward or stay the same.
People who care dont want to conserve. They want to build.
Freedom is valuable in America because its supposed to lead to something greater.
It gives us the means to create, to experience, to help, to change, to become. These
opportunities arent available everywhere in the world. We are not free simply
because oppression sucks, but because with freedom we can thrive individually.
T Th he e A Ab bs su ur rd di is st t C Ch hr ro on ni ic cl le es s
3
Every great invention began with the freedom to create it. Every meaningful
endeavor has the freedom of its participants backing it up.Its a pretty badass
ideology to base your country on, however great ideologies must have follow-
through in order to be worth much.
So what happens when freedom is warped into something unrecognizable? What
happens when freedom exists simply as an excuse not to thrive instead of existing as
a means for us to thrive?
Unfortunately, it sometimes gives individuals and groups the perceived right to
hostility. Freedom of speech becomesfreedom togo online and belittle others
lifestyles and threaten them with violence. Freedom to bear arms becomeswe can
shoot our neighbors dog if its barking too much. Freedom of religion becomeswe
can spend our lives harassing those who we deem to be sinners.
This isnt freedom. These are excuses, typically used to defend apathy and ignorance
or deny personal responsibility. Its a convenient defense though, isnt it?
Considering how freedom is Americas undisputed heavyweight champion of
ideologies? Anyone who fights against these unarguable freedoms immediately
seems un-American, while the perpetrator gets off easy becausewell, freedom and
stuff.
But what if we moved on to more-pressing endeavors while still keeping our
freedom as a platform?

F Fr re ee ed do om m i is s a a v ve eh hi ic cl le e. . I If f y yo ou u h ha av ve e n no o d de es st ti in na at ti io on n, , y yo ou u m mi ig gh ht t a as s w we el ll l g ge et t o of ff f t th he e
r ro oa ad d. .
Have you ever been at the grocery store looking at a wall of snacks, overwhelmed by
the sheer multitude of options? Now imagine spending a lifetime in front of those
options, so overwhelmed that you eventually walk away, not even choosing one bag
of cheesy poofs. Sadly, thats what some peopledo with their freedom. Not all, but
certainly many people get lost in their freedom while life trickles down the
drain.The more options that exist, the more maddening choice becomes. We have
absolutely no idea what to do with our freedom, and so we do nothing.
A An nx xi ie et ty y i is s t th he e d di iz zz zi in ne es ss s o of f f fr re ee ed do om m. . S So or re en n K Ki ie er rk ke eg ga aa ar rd d
Its not easy to choose things like what you want to be, where you want to go, or
how you want to improve the world. Many people dont even want to improve the
world. A lot of us have a case of the not-my-problems, as if being born into luxury
means we are superior to anyone and anything that wasnt.
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I dont believe in fate, gods, or human-centrism. I believe in hard work, luck, and
whatever spawns from the collision of the two. More importantly, I believe in
human potential because theres evidence of its greatness everywhere you look.
In my mind, freedom isnt on the house. It comes with one simple stipulation: that
we use our freedom for good and not evil.That we not squander the entirety of it on
video games or alcohol or other fruitless pleasures. That each of us does whatever
little bit we are capable of, for someone or something outside of ourselves. That is,
or should be, the cost of freedom.

There is a paradox that exists in the Western world and its that the more freedoms
we are given, the more stressed and confined we often feel. Its no ones fault. No
one could have predicted such a phenomenon. Social freedom does notequate
with personal freedom. Social freedom is good for the whole, but as for the
individual, he is still in charge of his fate. Its a separate battle, and in the Western
world, were just starting to become aware of that.
America is one of the most civilized, advanced, and progressive countries on earth.
But with all great things comes troubleshooting. When people are given the choice
of how they want to live, they often choose the path of least resistance. The very
phrase sounds safe enough, right? Least resistance. Least bad stuff. Sounds good!
But when we emphatically choose hedonism, life quickly becomes a blur of
television and Wendys frosties. We end up not only miserable, but completely
dumbfounded as to why were miserable.
T Th he e p pa at th h o of f l le ea as st t r re es si is st ta an nc ce e l le ea ad ds s t to o c cr ro oo ok ke ed d r ri iv ve er rs s a an nd d c cr ro oo ok ke ed d m me en n. .
H He en nr ry y D Da av vi id d T Th ho or re ea au u
Theres a hole in this plan. When youre on the path of least resistance, you go
wherever. Its like jumping in the backseat of a car with no driver, and hoping for the
best- its a bit nave. And worst of all, you might later realize where you actually
wanted to go, only to be 50miles off course. Sometimes we dont even know were
choosing, assuming that one path is simply all there is. What other options are
there? Our brains grapple for a solution to the emptiness, but we often second-guess
ourselves. Work, Eat, Marriage, Sleep, Kids, Death. Even if we want something else,
apathy settles above our heads like a fog, convincing us that our ambitions never
existed. Theres nothing wrong with marriage, kids, or office jobs. Theres only
something wrong with the fact that most of us do those by default. This leads to
shitty marriages, shitty parents, and lots of people who dont care enough to do their
jobs correctly.
Its not the bold and free American society telling us that our emptiness or yearning
for something more is crazy, but rather our confined selves.
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So what do you get when you combine uninspired people with lots of freedom?
B Br ri in ng g i in n t th he e z zo on nk ke er rs s. .
Essentially, to be zonked meant to be drunk, but nowadays we use it when
someones tired, out of it, etc. We can think of it as a kind of robotic, uninspired state
of awareness. Its probably one of the biggest hazards first world nations face today
(because were lucky enough to not face many major hazards).
What would benefit us most in the West right nowwould be a slight change in
perspective. What if we started viewing our actions not as things thataffect only us,
but as part of a larger, more significant storyline? Instead of giving up our egos and
personal goals completely (which is probably not possible), what if we weaved them
into this larger storyline? This would provide us with a greater sense of depth and
purpose, while simultaneously bettering the outside community. Community and
individualism dont necessarily have to clash. They can be complementary.
But how many of us really work on bettering ourselves?
For some, self-improvement is a foreign concept. For many, there is no perceived
connection between our own personal development and the state of the society we
live in. We all pretend to exist in vacuums with no impact on the world were living
in.
We live in a society where a small minority are concerned about the outcomes of it.
The vast majority of us are hampered with busy work- meetings, paperwork, bill
paying, and grocery shopping.
Keeping all of this in mind all the time would unzonk those of us with zonk-itis. But
its way easier said than done.

Can it be possible that we are a brazenly free society full of confined individuals?
Its not a new idea. Clive Hamilton named his book after it.The more freedom we are
given, the more we chase, the less we find. The freedom paradox.
There are a few things currently supporting the existence of a freedom
paradox.Youve likely heard about them via zillions of media outlets.Reports
estimate that anxiety disorders cost us over 42 billion dollars a year in the US.
WebMd reports richer countries have higher rates of depression, with the US ranked
2
nd
in the world.A paradox is lurking.
The problem is thatmuch of what we choose ultimately takes a portion of freedom
from us. In the West, the leading causes of death include heart disease, cancer,
diabetes, and suicide. Of course suicide is preventable. However, choice comes into
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play with the other 3 as well. Extensive evidence shows that they are somewhat
preventable through healthy eating, exercise, and stress reduction.
Besides these seemingly unavoidable diseases, we have enticing cigarettes,
addictive food additives, or convenient pharmaceuticals with deadly side effects. We
can block the consciousness of it all with drugs or alcohol until those substances
take our freedom completely. We can be enslaved to unnecessary credit card debt
for the sake of a buyers high. But wouldnt it be fair to assume that in one of the
freest countries in the world, the leading causes of death would all be accidental
instead of degenerative or self-inflicted? Why does freedom seem to couple so well
with stress? Whats going on?
In the 1800s, cancer killed a small trickle of people. In ancient cultures, researchers
are hard pressed to find evidence of it at all. Nowadays in America, were nearing a 1
in 3 chance of getting cancer in our lives. With such a great quality of life, youd
expect most of us to die of old age in our 90s, but its often not the case. Many of us
are dropping in our 50s without warning. So when left to our own devices (aka
freedom), do we really make the wisest, most self-serving choices? Maybe humans
arent such rational beings after all, huh old philosopher dudes?
In several regions of Africa, the suicide rate is lower or equal to rates in the US. Thus
its really hard to argue that freedom and wealth alone create happiness and a sense
of life-purpose. Its more likely that they help create happiness, in tangent with other
necessary factors.
And so a bizarre and unexpected question arises: are we dying of freedom? When all
of our leading causes of death are at least somewhat tied to choice? A lot of people
dont have the luxury to die of luxury. It sounds ridiculous. What rational being
would do that? What does it say about us that droves are literally picking up
cigarettesto die a horrible death of lung cancer? We pick our poison, even though we
have the freedom and education available to check the none of the above box.
There must be a reason that we do this.
Maybe its that were using these things that are detrimental to our health as
crutches because were not satisfied with just freedom. Maybe were driven insane
by freedom alone and so we become irrational. So irrational that we resort to slowly
killing ourselves through whatever comforting method we choose. Ironic? When
given the freedom in life, we choose various degrees of death? Its a tad bit morbid,
but its also a tad bit true.
In America, freedom is of course good because it is juxtaposed with the horrible
oppression faced in other nations and in history. But when considering
freedomoverall, it has no connotation. We are free to live and we are free to die. We
are free to donate to charity and we are free to steal the collection plate.
So while freedom is necessary, there must be something with a positive connotation
to go along with it. Heres where values come in.
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Ill be the first to say that research is great. Its used multiple times to prove points
in this book. Its led to amazing and unfathomable innovation. But (theres always a
but) when we consider the act of raising money for research, what were really
doing is passively praying that someone else will solve our problems.
There are endless amounts of research available online that can help us prevent
disease in our bodies, for example. It already exists, waiting to be read and utilized.
Research on cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, all of the big killers. But who reads
it? Do any of us who donate and help raise money for research look up the results
and use them to help ourselves? Maybe. But Id bet that most of us sit idly waiting
for someone else to solve our problems because we re free. We shouldnt have to
personally invest in our health and wellbeing and understanding. Someone else will
do it for us. Its not our job.
There are setbacks to this kind of mindset.
In a society with freedom and no individual development, we have a scenario where
the minority pushes for progress while the majority sleeps in- just because they can.
So whats the answer? What is the next step in societal development? Why is there
still so much disease, crime, mental illness, and emptiness in the lives of such free
citizens? Thats what each one of us must decide for ourselves. The answers lie on
the battlefields in each of our brains. No one can cure another person of his/her
pathologies, but we can all undoubtedly cure ourselves.
T Th he e m mo os st t i im mp po or rt ta an nt t k ki in nd d o of f f fr re ee ed do om m i is s t to o b be e w wh ha at t y yo ou u r re ea al ll ly y a ar re e. . T Th he er re e c ca an n' 't t
b be e a an ny y l la ar rg ge e- -s sc ca al le e r re ev vo ol lu ut ti io on n u un nt ti il l t th he er re e' 's s a a p pe er rs so on na al l r re ev vo ol lu ut ti io on n, , o on n a an n
i in nd di iv vi id du ua al l l le ev ve el l. . - -J Ji im m M Mo or rr ri is so on n

According to Wikipedia, Consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology
that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-greater amounts.
Sounds reasonable. Its just that ever-greater part thats kind of skeevy. Ever-
greater? Until what? It sounds like a rule a child would make up in order to ensure
he wins a board game.

Each of us must choose when to stop consuming and start living. No authority is
ever going to define that for us.
In grade school, teachers only teach you to count up to a certain number. Why?
Because theres a point where surplus doesnt matter. Counting to 100 is something
we must know, because we will be spending hundreds, earning hundreds, creating
things in the hundreds, etc. Wed never be expected to count to infinity.

The CEO who spends his life at the office, chasing that next billion is crazy in the
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same exact way those people on Hoarders are crazy. You stop benefitting from your
money after a certain amount just like you stop benefitting from your cats after a
certain amount.

The poor hoarder is considered a nut case. The CEO, a brilliant leader. Whats the
difference? Nothing. Surplus stops mattering at a certain point.

This idea is supported by research. Particularly on the famous health to wealth
chart. Wealth only matters to a certain dollar amount, and after that, wealth doesnt
improve health. In some cases (ermmAmerica) higher wealth actually lowered
health.

Basically what that means is that if you are in a 3
rd
world country and your salary
goes from $5,000 to $20,000, youre really going to benefit. If youre in a 1
st
world
country and your salary goes from $100,000 to $200 bajillion, its not going to make
a god damn difference in your wellbeing, and it might actually lower your life
expectancy. Why? Because of the freedom paradox.
Its an unfortunate oversight within capitalist society. You cant consume your way
to freedom any more than you can cartwheel your way to success. It just doesnt
make sense.

If you want to make the amount of money you need, youre smart. If you want to
make millions of dollars, you might not be. Because at some point surplus stops
mattering. There wont be enough time in your life to utilize infinity amounts of
money, cats, or anything, even if you are passing some of it on to family
members.Hoarding becomes pathological. Were fully aware of this when the
hoarder is wrangling cats, but for some reason money hoarders are viewed as
admirable geniuses.

The problem with relying on institutions in a capitalist system is that everything is
set up like a business. Businesses are faceless operations, devoid of ethics. The
medical institution profits off of your illness, for example. Why would it be a major
priority to cure your illness?
Sure, it sounds overly cynical. But there arecountless stories of individuals healing
their incurable diseases, going back to tell their doctors, and the doctors reaction?
Complete indifference. Why? Because it doesnt benefit the business model. What
capitalism really means is every man for himself. We Americans interpret the
medical institution as anall-knowing, empathetic operation that exists to help us. Its
not. Its simply a business.
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This goes not only for our physical wellbeing, but for our mental wellbeing too. We
wait for Apple to come up with a new product to make our lives easier. We buy
products for our loved ones, hoping it will make them happy. We would all have
nervous breakdowns if our beloved Starbucks shut down one morning.
Whats the common thread here? Were relying on businesses for our physical
and mental wellbeing.But again, businesses are outside of the realm of ethics. They
exist simply to profit, not to be good or help anyone. Capitalism never promised
anyone joy and wellbeing, it just promised opportunity and freedom.
So the shift that needs to occur is that we need to rely on ourselvesfor our physical
and mental wellbeing. No one else can achieve this for you and no one else cares to
achieve this for you. Lets stop kidding ourselves. Its not harsh, its just business. We
should be customers second, self-reliant individuals first.
I I a am m a as sh ha am me ed d t to o t th hi in nk k h ho ow w e ea as si il ly y w we e s su ur rr re en nd de er r t to o b ba ad dg ge es s a an nd d n na am me es s, , t to o
l la ar rg ge e s so oc ci ie et ti ie es s a an nd d d de ea ad d i in ns st ti it tu ut ti io on ns s. . R Ra al lp ph h W Wa al ld do o E Em me er rs so on n
It might seem that this all leads to one conclusion: Down with the system. Riot in the
streets. Quit your jobs. Smash your cell phones. But none of thats realistic. And
although smashing a cell phone (especially when its someone elses) is a hell of a lot
of fun:
1. Capitalism is one of the most humane and successful government
systems weve seen thus far
2. Through it, weve invented things that make life easier, and
undeniably better.
To deny consumerism is to deny our own human/animal nature to want comfort,
ease, and safety.
The fact of the matter is that everyone likes having unlimited access to awesome
stuff once they are exposed to it. Before they are exposed, they might think its
horrible and unethical (Watch the show Breaking Amish). But there is no one on this
earth who is completely immune to shopping malls, Amazon prime, and fast food.
(MAYBE Buddhistsmaybe)
In conclusion: Consumer guilt is not the answer.
At the end of the novel Brave New World (spoiler alert) one of the main characters
kills himself because he realizes he is not immune to the temptations of society. He
hates it so much that he decides to die rather than face his own dismal human
nature: the enjoyment of simple, stupid pleasures.
But weve evolved so much further than these stupid pleasures. There is no reason
why we cant coexist with consumerism and utilize it to our advantage instead of to
our detriment. Thats where individual growth comes in. Remember the whole
shtick at the beginning about what is scarce? Individual values that arent lax, and
T Th he e A Ab bs su ur rd di is st t C Ch hr ro on ni ic cl le es s
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individual focus on what matters to you? Have those in place and all the pitfalls of
modern society fall to the wayside.
The answer to societys troubles doesnt involve any radical or glamorous
movement. It doesnt involve all of us doing one thing, or society as a whole
changing in any specific way. It simply involves the cultivation of individuality.
Individuals becoming better, more self-aware, more focused versions of themselves.
If any, that is the driving idea here.

It used to be freedom. For a while it was equality. However in many ways, weve
already obtained these. Focus. Decisiveness. Direction. Those things arent as easy to
harness as they used to be because there are more options now than ever before. Its
a double-edged sword.
Focus is scarce. Because of technology, there are infinity things we can focus on at
any time of the day. Just do a quick Google search for how to stay and youll see
that how to stay focused is in the top four suggestions.
It is not a coincidence that Steve Jobs, direct contributor to the influx of technology
and fast-pacednesssaid, People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've
got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred
other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. Innovation is saying no to
1,000 things.
Values are scarce. What if we have tons of freedom, tons of focus, but no values?
Then our individual impact on the world probably wont be groundbreaking. People
without values cannot recognize when they see something wrong. They dont stand
up for whats important and sacred to them because nothing is important and
sacred to them. They wont stand for anything different from the status quo, because
they wont be able to separate themselves from it.
Take what makes sense from the status quo and wreck the remainder of it.
Status quos exist as foundations to be built upon, and are by no means
guidelines for what we should be creating in the world.
These arent new ideas. Theyve been spouted by far more eloquent thinkers,
probably since the beginning of time. But theyre still relevant and important,
perhaps now more than ever.
If youre focused, with set goals and firm values, youre probably already ahead of
the pack.
Unlike in the past, the betterment of society does not predominantly depend on
legislation or widespread movements. It depends on the willingness of each person
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to use his or her freedom wisely.Government is largely irrelevant in this battle.
Societies dont change if the people in them dontchange.
We can browse the internet reading meme after meme, facebook status after status,
comment section argument after comment section argument. We can stalk whatever
celebrity we want every day, for our entire lives, until the cops haul us away with
the others. We can do the most stupid, self-degrading things imaginable and put
them on youtube. We are free, and these are the lovely side-effects.
If theres one lesson that freedom teaches, its that just because you can doesnt
mean you should. We can take one of two routes: apathy and a lifelong case of the
zonks, or deliberateness and a one-way ticket to whatever the hell we want.
All that matters now is that we learn to retain ourselves rather than let ourselves get
swept up into the whirlwind of information, conversation, and infinite
entertainment until we can no longer separate it from ourselves. Remember: you
cant consume your way to personal freedom. You have to act.
Now more than ever, it is essential that we discipline ourselves, because no one else
will. Decide whats worth focusing on by yourself, because everything is vying for
attention. Define exactly what you want your life to be, even though you will never
be forced to choose. We have to have the internal values in place to say when
instead of succumbing to the meaningless ever-greater that consumerismpermits.
Albert Camussaid, "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so
absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." But the world he
witnessed was very different from the one were in now. Perhaps the tables have
turned and we have to reverse this quote in order for it to apply to us: The only way
to deal with a free world is to become so deliberate- so focusedthat your very
existence is an act of rebellion.

Want more shenanigans?