An Observation
Letter #62: How much more clearly I can see things from the outside looking in. Article #3 for Write of Passage.
“Think for yourself, question authority.”—Timothy Leary
In the summer of 2020, George Floyd was murdered at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, and all over the globe, Black Lives Matter protests erupted. Especially in New York City, several protests were scheduled daily.
It was, and still is, a time that weighs heavily on my heart. I wanted to get out there and participate in the protests, but I often could not–not if they occurred during the work hours between 9 to 6.
Although we were still in the midst of Covid-19, my company had us back in the office as early as May of 2020. To have everyone working in an enclosed space together was pretty unheard of at that time. And, for me, that meant my opportunities for participating in the BLM protests were limited. If I wanted to keep paying my rent and taking care of my bills, I had to keep working.
The year prior I had gone down a rabbit hole of reading the works of Noam Chomsky, a “prominent political thinker, linguist, and social critic who has often discussed how systems of power can work to maintain their control and discourage resistance.” There was a particular aspect of his writing that struck a chord with me, and has been embedded in my mind ever since. The reality that life in an ultra-capitalistic society like the US is designed to keep blinders on its citizens.
The grueling 50+ hour workweek keeps us distracted from questioning what is happening within our governments. Our focus on consumerism distracts us from thinking critically about societal matters. If our political leaders and large corporations can keep us from questioning, then they can keep us from demanding change.
The machine can continue running as it always has, to serve the leaders that created it. And we cannot risk the backlash from our employers by taking time away to fight the system—we need to pay our bills. We keep our heads down, striving to make more money so that we can afford to buy more things, thus pumping fuel back into the economy that further lines the pockets of those we’re working for.
I could see how trapped I was—I wasn’t thinking for myself, and I was abiding by all the rules of authority.
Back at the office, I couldn’t voice my opinions about the evident burn-out of so many employees, the Israel’s ongoing abuse of Palestinian natives, the need for police reform in the US, and our continual disregard for the lack of ethics behind fast fashion. As long as a company was paying my salary, I had to keep my mouth shut and play by the rules. It wasn’t until I left my job that I became more courageous in expressing my opinions openly, especially through writing online.
After spending the last year out of corporate America and traveling around the world, I have the opportunity to see it all from the outside looking in. I now have the chance to step back and say whoa…this system is messed up. The control of human behavior, the oppression of resistant voices, the addiction to material gain. This keeps you trapped.
Now that I can see this system all so clearly from the other side, I am committed to ensuring my next career path not only allows my voice to be heard, but does not keep me from questioning mainstream media, our leaders, and restricting my participation in the community. Never again will I accept feeling trapped in that system.
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This is powerful Heather, thought provoking and inspiring.