Phantom freedom

It’s a free world. Nice concept, isn't it? Indeed, some people would have us believe it's true. And depending on where you are coming from, perhaps, in relative terms, you do live in a "free" world. But that’s just it – it is relative. For an individual, you would imagine, the ideal "free world" is one where you can do anything you want, at any time, anywhere. 

Of course, such a world does not — nor could not — exist, unless you happened to be the only living creature in this utopia land, in total control of all other elements. Coming from that viewpoint, there are so many areas we could explore as to why we don’t live in a free world. For now, though, you’ll be glad to know, we’re just going to look at some of the more obvious, daily limitations on our freedom.

'Tis my field.'

There is a general consensus that we live in a freer world now than ever before in human history. 

In many respects — putting on our relativity glasses once more (you’d be as well to leave them on throughout) – this is true. But for anyone engaging in even the slightest bit of travel, you soon realise just how restricted we are by outside forces. Anything from restrictions on personal belongings to — depending on your destination — visa requirements, the limits imposed on us are quite strict.

Now, cast your mind back to European explorers such as Columbus, Magellan et al. and imagine the sense of freedom they must have felt when they set off discovering those new worlds beyond the seas (of course, we emphasise discovering and new here in the European context. Apologies to all indigenous descendants of said new worlds, we’re just using these terms to underscore a point).

For those adventurers, there were no immigration checks on arrival, no stringent visa requirements and the like. Although, in hindsight, the native populations probably wished they had just given their visitors the standard 90-day tourist pass with a bar on re-entry. 

The irony here, of course, is that no sooner had our tourists to the new world arrived, than they started marking out and dividing these free lands up. And where boundaries exist, freedom is curtailed.

When you look at it from a broader context over an extended period of time, isn't it silly for us to say we, as individuals or groups, own parts of this planet? Every now and again Mother Nature gives us some very powerful reminders of who really is in control. 

The people of Japan, Christchurch in New Zealand and Haiti, to name but a few of recent vintage, can vouch for that. Now think of all the lives lost due to man’s desire to take ownership of land and resources — all usually to the detriment not just of his fellow man but nature in general. There are very few, if any, regions on this globe that have avoided such destruction. 

Yes, we all were born in specific areas of the planet, places we like to call home, places that have a special meaning for us. But whether we like it or not, we had very little control over that. 

Plus, considering the serious challenges we as a race face due to the rapid globalisation of the world in the last half-century or so — environmental issues, economic and suchlike — isn't it time we made a deliberate shift to think macro rather than micro? Aren't we all citizens of the globe first and foremost? 

Yet, reverting back to the travelling theme, the very instrument we require in these times to give us a modicum of freedom — our passports — can, in another light, offer us quite the opposite. 

They mark us out, categorise us into a certain group/nationality and depending on that labelling along with where in the world you want to go, they can be more of a hindrance than a help. 

For example, the freedom to travel you have on a Colombian passport is far more restricted than that of — if you are lucky enough to have one — an EU passport. 

An instrument of freedom or repression?

So is it not time — if we truly live in a globalised world — that we started looking at issuing ‘global’ passports? Of course, the argument could be made do we need passports at all, but the evidence would suggest that as a race we’re not quite ready for that move just yet. 

However, anything that promotes freer movement for the vast majority of people on this planet — within reason — should be enhanced. After all, they do say travel broadens the mind, right? Then again, they do say we live in a free world, too. 

So why not pack your bags, prepare to broaden your mind and put that theory to the test.