Do hard things voluntarily
Andor: Creature comforts are a control mechanism. Learn to live without.
Cassian Andor sits down next to Karis Nemik, a rebel with whom he is about to undertake a very dangerous mission against the Empire. Nemik is holding two devices, both appear rudimentary but one catches Andor’s eye.
“That’s an old one,” says Andor to Nemik.
“Old…and true, and sturdy. One of the best navigational devices ever. Can’t be jammed or intercepted. Something breaks, you can fix it yourself.”
“Hard to learn,” Andor responds.
“Yes, but once you’ve mastered it - you’re free. We’ve grown reliant on Imperial tech and we’ve made ourselves vulnerable. There’s a growing list of things we’ve known and forgotten. Things they’ve pushed us to forget. Things like freedom.”
I feel attacked!! Judged!! I barely made it home yesterday from work with the technological wonder known as Google Maps to light my way. This is something my daughter has both poked fun at and openly disparaged at times. She sees me and her mother use devices and apps like Google Maps to do incredibly basic things and run trivial local errands, and she’s asked why we do it.
I’ve never had a good answer. It’s just what we do now, isn’t it? Rely on the device and all its satellite power to save a measly 5 minutes on our commute by letting it log our movements and those of our neighbors. It’s a trap!
Do I even know how to get home to my parents in North Carolina without this damned technology? I’ll be honest…I’m not so sure.
In the Roman court of Emperor Nero served the philosopher known to us today as Seneca. He lived the good life and in a great deal of material comfort. But Seneca was not content with this, nor with the corrupt bargain he’d made serving as Nero’s advisor. So Seneca routinely introduced struggle and discomfort into his life. He’d periodically wear uncomfortable clothing that pained his skin, forgo shoes on his feet and even reduce his diet to water and bread for days on end.
This is not exactly survivalist levels of self-deprivation. But for a high-powered hand in the Emperor’s service, it’s significant.
Seneca was preparing himself to be able to “live without.” He correctly viewed luxury as a moral trap and something that people (such as Nero) will wield against you to get things they want.
Human beings will do awful things out of fear to hold on to their comfort. We’ll stay in a toxic relationship to keep the downtown penthouse. Hold onto the job at a corrupt company because you can’t imagine life on the Ramen Noodle diet again. Even though we likely survived these conditions once already, we’ll avoid returning to it at all costs. Why?!
When you know damn well that you can handle life without the finer things, no one can control you.
That’s freedom.
Nemik knew this. It’s why he was committed to using a retrograde navigational device to travel the galaxy. No bells and whistles, but his freedom of movement could not be stripped from him by the Empire or its nationalized technology companies.
They want him (and you) to forget how to handle shit yourself. It’s polite coercion. I am not free in the way Nemik is. Not yet. Are you?
This week practice voluntary discomfort. Cold shower. Resistance training at the gym. Pass up on dessert or wine. Drive to work without Google Maps and if there is traffic you could have avoided, so be it. Do this kind of thing with regularity and intention. It’s training. We just don’t know when it will come in handy.
This is the way
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