"Freedom"

Well first of all, how would one define freedom? We even consider this country to be "free", but what does that really mean? It's not like everyone can go parading down the street, doing whatever they want without conflict or interference, so I think we think of freedom as something different than it really is. It's almost as if it acts as a term just to make us think we have control. But in a way we do. Most of us lead our own lives, but within the boundaries of course. We choose whether to participate or not in school, but we are still obligated to attend until the age of 16. We can technically do whatever we want, as long as it's not against the law. Just as Atwood states "A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze." Now personally, I don't feel like we are being strongly oppressed as a people, but if everyone had the choice to do as they pleased, we most likely wouldn't even be having this conversation, or even in existence. I don't know. It's an interesting point...I get how many feel like school is a box retaining us from so many more possibilities (and in some cases i totally agree), but what else would we do? How else would we run a society for as large of a population we have today? Hm. And maybe that thought is just thanks to the monotone rhythm that I have been following for the past 15 years of my life, instigated by those who really hold the "power". They always tell us that we're lucky to get an education, that we're lucky to have such resources at such an amazing school. I'm convinced though. Or brainwashed. Whichever way you choose to look at it. The only thing I can point out in my head (if possible), is that this current life is what I want to thrive on for the moment. Who knows what happens afterwards, but I don't want to spend the present thinking about my unknown voyage afterwards. I want to take part in what our society believes is a just education (I can't believe i just wrote that). Actually woa, wait, I'm not sure if I mean that. I think all in all, since my goal in life at this point isn't to try and burst the bubble of this ostensible freedom we are controlled by, I would rather just move along in life appreciating the "freedom" I do have. I'm content. I don't feel oppressed. But should I? Oh this is weird. THis is bouncing back and forth a lot. I just don't know. Maybe I'd just rather continue living life with an ignorance towards this. Or wait, would I really consider a school for example a method of controlling the people? Well yes of course, but maybe it's not all that bad. What would we be if we all controlled ourselves? Disconnected. Probably then we would start to try and control others, then kill each other, and that's that. OK, now I'm sort of going back to my point at the top. I'm just babbling.