Freedom

There're many kinds of freedom. The most familiar kind would be freedom of ideals, freedom of ideas, freedom of expression, freedom from oppression of free people-the foundation upon which democracy is built.

There's the freedom from parental control demanded by peevish teens experiencing teen angst as demonstrated clearly in "Desperate Housewives 2" when Andrew told his Mum, Bree "I want to be emancipated".

There's then the freedom of Self from society/State as wished for by Mimi and Elan. Elan laments that at 21, undergrads are still worrying about grades and wonders when they'll ever be rid of the influence of this elitist/herd mentality.

There's also freedom from past/reality where one wishes he could reject the past and spurn reality.

Every type of freedom mentioned earlier is relatively easy to attain save for the last. Think about it. If you feel oppressed by State, you can always move away, migrate and live elsewhere. You don't have to put up with crap. If you want freedom from parental control, once you reach a certain age, your parents can't control you anymore. However, freedom from past/reality is a tough nut to crack. Even if one migrates, changes his identity, changes his personality, goes for cosmetic surgery, cuts off all contacts with his past, he'll never be rid of his past. For his past will haunt him wherever he goes. It is his past that makes him who/what he is presently. As for denying reality, you can go to sleep but you can't sleep away the problem. You can turn to alcoholism, to drugs but the problem persists. To be free from everything is akin to a kite. It is a fallacy to think that a kite seems to be flying in the direction it wants, because it'll always be tied to the string. It is best then to live in the wild, be part of the wild. I'm reminded of Savage Garden's "Animal Song".