Freedom

I finished “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen yesterday.  I won’t talk a lot about it because I don’t know if you have read it or not, but I will attempt to persuade you to read it.  I will say that if you are the type of person who likes to walk around in a haze thinking that the world is a perfect place because you have your picket fence and SUV, you’ll have a hard time reading this book.  Also, it’s very political, and if you have a hard time looking at other points of view, then it also isn’t for you, even though you are the type of person who probably should read it and would benefit greatly. 

It’s about the good, the bad, and the ugly that resides in all of us, in our nation, and in our world.  It has so many different themes in it; I could sit and analyze it for days.  But in a nutshell, I would describe it like this:  There’s the planet, then there’s your country, then there’s your neighborhood, then there’s your family.  The root of the planet’s problems is the same root of our problems in our lives—that is, the problems that we inflict on ourselves.  The theme is that is that we are all arrogant, selfishness, petty, and stupid.  The characters aren’t likeable, but then again, in all of them there is something redeeming and endearing.  (That’s pretty realistic.  I am always saying that people are never ALL bad or ALL good.  Hitler is next to Satan, but he liked animals.  No one is one way completely and the world isn’t black and white.  Wouldn’t it be cool if we could remember that?)   It’s about how freedom means different things to different people, and it’s about the turmoil we go through with the constant push and pull.  Sometimes having the freedom to do what we want isn’t the best for us and it can lead to disaster, and yet deserved freedom is pure bliss—deciphering between the two is the problem.  There have to be rules and regulations for our own good, but the way that we fight with each other when we are coming up with those rules and regulations are ridiculous.  Basically I finished the book thinking “Can we ever really all be happy?” 

It’s clear that Franzen thinks that western civilization is a bunch of overindulgent morons who care more about their pocketbooks, their comfort, their identity, their kids…..is he wrong?  When you look at the money in the world, isn’t it disturbing that it’s spread so unevenly?  How can we be sitting here comfy worrying about the things we worry about when someone else is watching their child starve to death?  (I am guilty of it too, totally.)  Even if we are struggling financially, we aren’t covered in gnats and our stomachs aren’t swollen from having starved for days.

One of Franzen’s big themes in the book is the environment and what we are doing to it.  I am not an environmentalist by any means.  I care and I have made attempts to do something about it, but I haven’t ever gone outside my comfort zone and done something drastic.  Basically, I don’t litter and I sometimes recycle when it’s convenient.  Really impressive, right?  So, I can’t talk.  But anyway, one of the characters is upset about his neighbor’s cat being allowed to roam free and kill the birds that he works daily on conserving.  She says “I care more that my kids learn responsibility and that’s why I got the cat, so they could take care of him.  The cat likes to go outside and as long as he is happy and my kids are happy, why would I care about a bird?”  Ok, so whether you think that’s silly or not—that’s an example of what Franzen was saying.  We’re all about us, bottom line.  We think we should have freedoms to do whatever makes us happy, sometimes blatantly, sometimes inadvertently, but either way, sometimes it takes away others’ freedom to live. 

I’d like to say that I have the answer to the world’s problems, but I don’t, just like everyone else.  I try not to point fingers and I like to say “Glad I am not in a position of power!”  But the truth is, there are things I can do, and there are things that you can do.  We need to educate ourselves and others, we need to pay attention and use our brains!  Sometimes things are hard, but sometimes they are common sense and we don’t even try to use common sense anymore.  I don’t know.  The only thing that we can do is to care about others, do our best to be thoughtful and respectful of our neighbors and of the planet, and to try to work together to solve the problems.  We can try to un-do the damage that we’ve done by being stupid human beings—easier said than done, especially when religion and politics are involved. 

I watched “Invictus” which is about Nelson Mandela and how he used Rugby to bridge the gap between South Africa.  I thought what everyone else does when they hear about Mandela.  What must it have been like to be locked up for 28 years for simply fighting for the right thing?  How do you leave a tiny jail cell a better person?  How do you forgive and teach others to love their enemy?  I mean, obviously, Jesus told us to do so.  But here’s a man who actually did these things.  We are all better than the baboons that we behave like sometimes, so let’s remember that.  We aren’t as shallow as E! would have us believe, and we are smarter than the stupid-ass reality shows give us credit for.  I know it’s easier to watch crap rather than to do something productive, because it’s depressing and often there seems to be no answer to our issues, but if we all do that, well we may as well just, well, I don’t even know.  That’s a scary thought.  Mandela said that education is the most powerful tool to change the world, so let’s try to educate ourselves and others. 

I forgot to mention one thing….there are constant passages about masturbation and men thinking with their penises.  I think that Franzen was saying that those manly organs get us into trouble.  I’m not kidding.  If you read it, notice that it’s a theme…..penis thinking.  Do men really use it more than their brains when making decisions?  I think so!  I watched “What Would You Do” the other night and men were falling over themselves trying to help a pretty girl STEAL A BIKE, one of the men was with his wife!  So, become an accomplice, hmmmmmm, shouldn’t you use your brain when coming to that decision?  Penises make men so stupid and yet they are the ones ruling the country, well, the world?  I’m with Franzen on that one.  Ladies, we have to realize that men are at a serious disadvantage and maybe we should cut them some slack.  They have a brain and then another one with an IQ of zero.  Glad I don't have a penis.  It’s scary to think about the times that “penis” has been written in my blog this week. Geez.

I’m onto “100 Days of Solitude”. 

Here’s the Word of the Day, sorry I was so longwinded:

torque \TAWRK\, noun:

1. The moment of a force that tends to cause rotation.
2. The measured ability of a rotating element, as of a gear or shaft, to overcome turning resistance.
3. A collar, necklace, or similar ornament consisting of a twisted narrow band, usually of precious metal, worn especially by the ancient Gauls and Britons.