Prison Society

an article of how society takes away our freedom as we grow older.

When you feel like the world has turned its back on you, you’re always unlucky and most importantly when you can already feel that the world no longer owes you, then congratulations you’re a grown up. When your mind cannot appreciate the present simple things in life, but would rather over-think about scenarios that might happen or thinking about the things that already happened, then welcome to adulthood.

It sneaks up on you, it comes rather obviously, hiding in plain sight, but no-one expects it. One day all you care about is playing with friends and watching your favorite cartoons, the next you’re 2 months late on your rent and thinking about moving back home. Being responsible and being an adult has become synonymous. Being responsible is being what society wants you to be, so being an adult is becoming a part of the society. The society has rules and consequences and by breaking the rules you are making yourself an outcast. No-one want to be an outcast so we buy into society’s definition of adulthood and do the things we should do not what we want to do. In its defense society has kept in check a lot of evil, no-one wants a murderer in the society, but it has also succeeded in murdering off the different, the distinct, and the independent. The rest have been left hiding, afraid to show what they can do, afraid to do what they want to do, others have been discredited, seen as mad.

We say we want to grow up so that we can be independent but when we do, we find out that we have just walked into a prison. The biggest prison, I feel, is people’s expectations. Everyone expects you to have a certain job at certain age, get married to a certain type of girl and have kids who you have to raise in a certain way, carry yourself in a certain way, wear some certain clothes, moderate your language to suit society’s accepted vocabulary, drive a nice car, buy a nice house and live in a nice neighborhood. Society is the greatest magician of all, no, the greatest illusionist. It has given most of us the illusion of freedom all our lives, and we have fallen completely under its spell and the sad thing is that this trick only ends when we are too old to remember how and when we were tricked or too tired to snap out of it, so we go down bitter and full of regret. Society is great at destroying what it is made of. It has no loyalty, it has been around longer than any of us, so much so that it has assumed the role of God, and even the most devout Christians have succumbed to it and are now following society’s gospel. Jesus himself said we should look at the world through the eyes of a child, yet we are doing the complete opposite every day, so what are the Christians going to church to do if they cannot follow one of the easiest passages in the scripture? Because so and so went and they don’t want to be left out? They don’t want to be judged, they want to be on the judges' committee.  

Society has become a dictator, created laws of discrimination, judgment, greed, selfishness, peer pressure, the list is endless. The funny thing is that the very composition of society feel that they cannot rise up to its dictator. This is because it has its ambassadors, the people on top, the politicians, the businessmen, the presidents etc. They have been sent to sweeten the deal by lying to the people, in exchange? they get power and riches. We, at the bottom, see these people living the life and flaunting their riches, so we listen to their poison about what to do, and how to act so that we can be one of them. Like all the conscious rappers say, ‘We have been conditioned’.  People have risen up against society in the past, it has been bloody but in the end it has been progressive, although sometimes it feels like as soon as one war ends, another takes its place. 

 

 

 

‘You can be whatever you want to be’

‘Really?’

‘Yes!’

‘I want to be an artist!’

‘No, not that’

‘Okay, I want to be a dancer’

‘Are you sure? How about a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer.…’

‘Ok…but I think…’

‘Just think about it more clearly…I mean imagine what people will think, an artist?!’

‘But…….ummm….ok….a doctor?’

‘Yes! Remember, you can be whatever you want to be…..’

‘…………….’

Reviews

[Lynn]

I just joined the page, but congratulations on your story. I think your word choices are exquisite. You have done quite well eliminating everyday words and replacing them with more interesting options. I do agree with the other reader though, your sentences are lengthy.

Your message is clear and dead on. I couldn't agree more about society's standards. You only have a few grammatical errors that I noticed, but overall I would say your story is:

Wonderfully written with a powerful message for those who feel alone, outcast, and alienated from the rest of the world, family, friends, etc. Nice job.

[Kogi]

Hi Lynn, thanks a lot for the review! Now that I read the story again, I do agree with you, I will definitely shorten them in my next story. I've read your story, beautifully told! find my comments on it.

[Lynn]

No problem at all. I truly enjoy reading your work. I look forward to reading more in the a.m. :) You have a natural talent for writing.

[MissEponine16]

Hi, I just joined the review forum thing. THe worst I can really come up with at the moment is large paragraphs. They can be very off-putting to a reader. Other than that though your chapter is incredibly true in so many ways, this was well written and very insightful!

[Kogi]

thanks i appreciate this :) i'll definitely reduce my paragraphs in my next story. i reviewed your story, great stuff! i left some comments on there about it.

[MissEponine16]

Awesome, i'm excited to read more of your stuff :)