Darkover
Archangel
- Jul 29, 2021
- 5,243
For billions of people, life is not a gift it's a sentence. A cycle of struggle, exploitation, and disappointment, wrapped in false promises of freedom and prosperity. From birth, we're conditioned to believe in progress, hard work, and personal growth, but for most, these are hollow ideals that rarely deliver. Instead, we're born into systems that depend on our continued participation and obedience. The harsh reality is this: many of us are not allowed to leave because the governments and the systems behind them need slaves.
Modern life disguises control as choice. We're told we're free because we can vote, buy products, or move to another country. But these freedoms are superficial when survival itself requires submission. Most people are trapped in jobs they hate, just to afford food, shelter, and basic healthcare. We work not because we love it, but because we have no choice. Our labor is extracted, our time consumed, and our spirits broken all to feed a machine that only benefits a select few.
And yet, despite how unbearable life can be, society treats the idea of opting out of ending one's life as taboo, immoral, or even insane. Assisted suicide is only available to the terminally ill in a handful of places, and even then, the process is often bureaucratic, inaccessible, or blocked by religious or political ideology. For those who are mentally and emotionally exhausted by life, there is virtually no support or understanding. Instead, they are told to "seek help," take medication, or be grateful for what they have — as if gratitude can erase suffering or antidepressants can fix a broken world.
Why is this the case? Because if people could freely and peacefully leave, the whole illusion would collapse. If suicide were seen as a rational choice a valid response to an unbearable existence society would have to reckon with the fact that life for many is not worth living. That realization threatens the foundation of the system. The economy needs workers. Governments need taxpayers. The elite need consumers. If too many people decide to stop participating, the structure begins to fall apart.
Instead of fixing the causes of suffering poverty, trauma, inequality, isolation society chooses to silence the symptoms. We pathologize despair. We call it mental illness, even when it's a perfectly reasonable response to unbearable conditions. We shame those who want to die, not out of hatred, but because their pain reminds others of how fragile the illusion really is.
But some people see through it. They recognize that suffering is not an individual failure, but a systemic feature. They realize that life is often a raw deal, filled with pain, exploitation, and meaningless repetition. And they understand the cruel irony: those who want to leave are held hostage by a society that needs their labor but doesn't care about their well being.
This is not freedom. This is not dignity. This is survival under duress, enforced by law, shame, and fear. And until society starts valuing people more than profit until it gives us real choices, including the right to say "no" to life then yes, we are slaves.
Modern life disguises control as choice. We're told we're free because we can vote, buy products, or move to another country. But these freedoms are superficial when survival itself requires submission. Most people are trapped in jobs they hate, just to afford food, shelter, and basic healthcare. We work not because we love it, but because we have no choice. Our labor is extracted, our time consumed, and our spirits broken all to feed a machine that only benefits a select few.
And yet, despite how unbearable life can be, society treats the idea of opting out of ending one's life as taboo, immoral, or even insane. Assisted suicide is only available to the terminally ill in a handful of places, and even then, the process is often bureaucratic, inaccessible, or blocked by religious or political ideology. For those who are mentally and emotionally exhausted by life, there is virtually no support or understanding. Instead, they are told to "seek help," take medication, or be grateful for what they have — as if gratitude can erase suffering or antidepressants can fix a broken world.
Why is this the case? Because if people could freely and peacefully leave, the whole illusion would collapse. If suicide were seen as a rational choice a valid response to an unbearable existence society would have to reckon with the fact that life for many is not worth living. That realization threatens the foundation of the system. The economy needs workers. Governments need taxpayers. The elite need consumers. If too many people decide to stop participating, the structure begins to fall apart.
Instead of fixing the causes of suffering poverty, trauma, inequality, isolation society chooses to silence the symptoms. We pathologize despair. We call it mental illness, even when it's a perfectly reasonable response to unbearable conditions. We shame those who want to die, not out of hatred, but because their pain reminds others of how fragile the illusion really is.
But some people see through it. They recognize that suffering is not an individual failure, but a systemic feature. They realize that life is often a raw deal, filled with pain, exploitation, and meaningless repetition. And they understand the cruel irony: those who want to leave are held hostage by a society that needs their labor but doesn't care about their well being.
This is not freedom. This is not dignity. This is survival under duress, enforced by law, shame, and fear. And until society starts valuing people more than profit until it gives us real choices, including the right to say "no" to life then yes, we are slaves.
