- When was the first major British female politician elected?
- Is it difficult, through the fear of a dangerous situation such as an air raid, to maintain compassion for people of enemy nations?
- How does Woolf define freedom, and, by her definition, are we free in modern-day America?
There are no bombs overhead, and I've never even seen a gas mask in real life, much less needed to keep one within arm's reach. Woolf says, "If we were free we should be out in the open, dancing, at the play, or sitting at the window talking together," and the truth is, I can do all of those things. However, I think her definition of freedom goes deeper than that. So long as there are soldiers trapped in war-machines, and citizens trapped in a war mentality, freedom is not achieved because peace is not achieved.
I believe Woolf equates the two, and rightfully so, in my own opinion. My brother will go off in a few weeks on a large boat, sent off to float around on the oceans and wait for the next war. While he does that, others among his ranks will sent to fight, and maybe die, the current wars. Meanwhile, the rest of us will wait at home. Any attempt to criticize the wars will be rebuked as an attack on American freedom, disrespect for the brave men and women who lay down their lives for the country, or something equally appalling and unpatriotic.
But I, like Woolf, don't believe freedom ever really comes from the barrel of the gun. As long as there are weapons there is fear, and as long as there is fear there is not freedom. I don't have to be afraid to walk out in the open, at least not really, but I have to worry about other things. Wars breeds fear and fear breeds submission: the Patriot Act allows the government to violate citizens' freedom to protect Freedom as a concept. I think that's the problem; we have Freedom here, but we aren't free. And I think we don't want to be, or rather, we can't imagine being free. We're as afraid of our own innate Hitlerism as we are of other people's. Peace can't be attained, not really; wars between countries may stop but wars between people never will. I don't have to watch out for bombs dropping overhead but I have to fear walking at night, fear large public places where a shooter might arise, and fear my own home where war can break out even within a family.
I'm probably reading too far into it, going beyond Woolf's political assessment and into religious territory, but I can't help but feel like she touches on the essence of it; human nature won't allow peace on Earth, and in this life, we'll never truly be free.
I believe you touched on a strong point when you stated that human nature are a real to deterrent to peace in the world. Human beings display many of the savage-like qualities that are seen in other animals in the animal kingdom. Especially in men throughout our evolutionary process we have always shown aggressiveness and exerting or dominance on others. We want to be the alpha-male. Woolf points out in her piece that men are the cause for the destruction and chaos seen throughout the world because of the overwhelming participation in geo-political affairs. I believe Woolf is looking for more female influence, with their innate maternal instinct, to help in the peace process.
ReplyDeleteYou raised some really good points that I did not pull out of this article. The fact that we really are not free is completely true. Just because we do not have fears of bombs dropping near us, does not mean that there are no fears. We live in constant fears, like you said. Whether it is walking at night alone or being in a school shooting, we are always fearful of something. Peace will most likely never be attained, and as much as women want to be participants in achieving peace, I don't believe it will happen. As a women, I believe that we should be treated more equally to men, but I don't believe that peace could be achieved by women if it can't even be achieved by men or war.
ReplyDeleteI believe that freedom is more that just being able to dance outside. Even if there is no bomb or arm overhead, if we are not in peace with ourselves, we will not be in peace. I agree with you that as long as there are weapons, there is fear and fear means lack of peace and freedom. I also liked your idea about war between people that never ends. It is true. And I think as long as people are involved with an innate war with themselves, they will never feel peace and freedom. and in reality we will never feel real peace and freedom.
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