Epiphany of the day

I realised today that I see things very much black and white. I hate it, but it makes things far simpler. I was sitting outside the British Library today drinking a coffee. As you do. I had enough of writing my dissertation and decided to take a break. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, as it always is. There seems to be no escaping it. Anyway, I started to look around at the people, who were also sitting, some smoking cigarettes, drinking coffees, thinking, chatting, eating, and doing their thing. I realised that we are all so very free. We can do whatever we please. There is nothing stopping us really. I’ve been so brainwashed thinking that man is bound by shackles and all that rubbish. We are slaves of capitalism etc. But actually, what would be the alternative? Communism? I know its the extreme alternative, but I warned you, I see things in black and white. Anyway, if that were so, I would probably only have a few more minutes left to drink my coffee before the loud speakers would crackle into action and start calling people back to their jobs or whatever it was they were doing before the break. But no, I was free. I was not obliged to return to the library and continue my studies. I could throw it all out of the window, if I wanted to. Of course, that would be stupid, but what makes the difference is that I can. And that is a great feeling. It works too. People seem to continue working, because they want to. It is in their interests to study hard, get the good grades, so that they can progress and move on to better things. There is that opportunity. I can do whatever I want. So long as I have the means. That is why I continue studying hard, get the good grades, and make a living in whatever way I please. So that I can own a big house, expensive car, boat, and everything else, education for my children and so forth. The problem with Communism is that you can have none of this. You are limited. From the word go, you know that there are limits to what you can achieve. What is the point in that? People are ambitious by nature and need competition and the possibility to achieve as much as they want. Some might then ask, but what about all those people who lose out in this treacherous game? Well, they are supported by those who win. People pay taxes. Of course, nothing unreasonable, and that money goes towards providing social security, free health care, education, council housing, pensions etc. People who are successful are obliged to be charitable to those who are not. They can afford to be. At this point, I looked around, and asked myself, do I want to be somebody who lives off the charity of others? The answer was simple. I gulped down the rest of my coffee, and hurried back to the studious realms of the British Library.