Chapter 1: Freedom

Answer. The author gradually exposes the concept of democracy in this chapter. According to the author, democracy does not explore freedom. Therefore, the masses are prevented from realising their slavery which is changed according to the convenience of the rulers. The change in systems does not necessarily create any benefits for the people ruled. Through their newspapers, schools, and parliaments, the higher class makes extreme efforts to prevent us from realising our slavery. Hence, the entire scenario on democracy painted by the author, G.B Shaw, in this chapter holds true for our country.

Answer. In today’s world, the Industrial Revolution, the age of machinery, and new technologies have developed rapidly with the production of goods that have opened doors for humankind. There have been new-age technologies that have helped speed up the agricultural domain and resulted in increasing output. ‘Nature may have tricks up her sleeve to check us if the chemists exploit her too greedily’ is related to today’s context as overexploitation of resources is very harmful to Nature. When all these technologies override Nature without any control, we humans have to face many problems in the future. The use of chemical fertilisers in agricultural fields creates a varied impact on Nature. Thus, the author, G.B. Shaw, means that there should be a check on the indiscriminate use of natural resources.

Answer. The famous writer, J. Krishnamurti, gives us an honest insight into the concepts of freedom and discipline. So, according to him, respecting elders is not to be confused with blind obedience. On the contrary, respecting elders is very much essential. Respecting and obeying elders is the usual tradition in our society. We are usually instructed never to question them and sometimes to follow the same, which is said to be very helpful to us. However, obedience and blind obedience both have different meanings. Obedience is when individuals will have their ethics in their thoughts and check whether the elders’ advice meets our views on the topic, and blind obedience is slavery, not freedom. Hence, one can never achieve true freedom through blind obedience, and it does more harm than good.