the illusion of freedom is illusioning.

just a poetic vent about the reality of america right now.

photo from lexi_santamaria on pinterest.

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we’re told that freedom is one of our defining values.

yet on the day you were born, you were assigned a number that would follow you through life. forms, databases, schools, employers, banks, governments.

every system would come to know you through a code.

you didn’t choose your name. it was given to you.

you didn’t choose your family.

you didn’t choose where you were born, what language you heard, what religion you were raised in, or what beliefs surrounded you during your most impressionable years.

you probably didn’t choose your last name either. sometimes it belongs to a man who was never there at all.

yet, we’re told by our family members,

“you should be grateful. at least you’re free.”

but what if the freedom you were promised was, at least in part, just a story?

if you grow up being told you live in the greatest country on earth, questioning that belief can feel almost forbidden.

a lot of people are offended that you would even ask, and that makes me wonder how deep generational conditioning goes.

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well perhaps i’ve mistaken the definition of freedom, so i have a few questions…

is it freedom if people who commit crimes against children are protected by power?

is it freedom when we ask teenagers to risk their lives for this country, while telling them they’re not old enough to rent a car or make adult decisions because their brains are still developing?

is it freedom when people are encouraged by politicians to distrust their neighbors?

is it freedom if the interests of foreign nations carries more weight than the voices of citizens?

is it freedom when the epstein files remain heavily redacted?

is it freedom when ice is terrorizing and murdering innocent people?

is it freedom when we’re advised that a college degree is the only path to success, while people in their 50s are still paying off student loans?

is it freedom when massive data centers are built near neighborhoods and residents feel like they have no voice?

is it freedom when starting a family can jeopardize your job, your finances, and your access to healthcare?

is it freedom when we're lied to and told that our wars are about security, while they're really driven by power and access to resources?

is it freedom when women’s rights can be rolled back?

is it freedom when corporations profit from heavily processed foods and additives?

is it freedom when those same “cures” from the doctor don’t actually cure us?

also….why doesn’t health insurance typically cover holistic medicine??????

is it freedom when one bout of cancer can leave someone homeless because the cost of staying alive is too high?

is it freedom when mass shootings and school shootings continue to impact this nation, yet proactive investments in prevention remain so contested?

12 mass shootings this past weekend, by the way.

is it freedom when expecting basic accessibility is treated as “unprofessional,” when accessibility is not about politics—it’s about humans?

is it freedom that we can’t seem to find the money to solve these issues, but we have plenty for endless wars, violence, and the loss of innocent lives?

if freedom includes the right to speak, what happens when people become afraid to use that right?

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have we confused being controlled with freedom?

i think it’s time to collectively accept the fact that the united states of america, at some point, was taken over by evil billionaires who care more about power and profit than people. and that, for quite some time, the freedom we were taught has not been the reality for many.

for the record, i speak from a moral stance—not a political one.

i follow the teachings of Jesus—not religion.

even though i know i’m not alone, sometimes i feel so alone and helpless. my entire family is maga. i had cousins at the jan 6 capitol attack. i’m from a red state. my former classmates call me a woke libt*rd. i don’t talk to any of them anymore.

some days i don’t know how much longer i can keep carrying the weight of it all while working, running my podcast, and pretending everything is business as usual

so if anyone can provide me a realistic, reasonable answer as to why there is a 34-count felon who was bestie buds with someone who trafficked children as the president of the united states, while our boomer family members are calling us “demonic” for acknowledging that fact...

while he’s creating AI videos of himself releasing poop on american citizens...

while families are watching their rights, healthcare, safety, and livelihoods become political bargaining chips...

while corruption and a complete lack of accountability are treated as acceptable…

please help me to understand. im dying to know.

no like literally, i’m dying to know. i can barely afford rent. thanks!

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thanks for reading. 💛

i know my notes have been heavier lately. i promise i’m not going to only write about the bad things. but with everything happening in the world, and with independence day and the world cup this month, it’s been hard not to feel the disconnect and keep these thoughts inside.