As the world is happily drifting into self-destruction, there is one concept that is worth digging into before the

grand finale comes. The question is extremely simple and almost primordial: are you a slave, or are you a free man? Should you feel an urge to self-assess, countering the old adage nemo iudex idoneus in causa sua, just do it. Can you be completely honest with yourself? If so, than follow the procedure. If not, the verdict is obvious and you can spare yourself the melodrama and obediently accept the simple fact you are a slave. Why be so judgemental, one could ask, and not allow the full expression of one's emotional personality and all the postmodern BS regarding an open ego and an even more open society. Just because. And trust me, as much as present times have diverged from normality, the fundamental rules of logic cannot be bent, like the laws of physics are universally relevant and non-alterable. If one is not honest with oneself it is slave mentality. Masters were often tricked by their subjects. This time one would want to trick one's own mind, create two separate entities sharing one body. Coherent personality is impossible in these circumstances, it is either schizophrenia or self-delusion. If nonpathological states are being discussed, self-delusion implies inability to face the reality, weakness or absence of free and strong will. These are characteristics of a slave. So now we have decided and bravely ventured into a wild territory of self-honesty. What should we look for and how are we to find the truth? Not all things that look simple are complex and our case only serves to prove that statement. The traits of a slave are few and easily discoverable. Every shortlist would be insufficient or maybe even biased while simultaneously being an excuse not to think. The most important thing about a free man is his ability to think. The possession of an independent mind, drawing its own conclusions and seeing through appearances. If you can't perform this unusually complicated feat, then your place is clear. Its on the other end of the whip. By independent I certainly do not mean being blindly in opposition, following the ever-raising wave of contesting everything, and in reality being manipulated into a designed set. There is one hugely important caveat: every action, while appearing the same to an external observer, can be motivated by either free man or slave mentality. One can enlist in the army or be simply drafted. Which one do you consider a slave and which one would be free? The answer is not direct at all. Slaves can enlist and masters can be drafted. Slaves just do what they are told or manipulated into believing. Free men can easily find themselves unable to live without being oppressed and can be forced by alien factors into subjugation. Another important trait of a free man is his unwillingness to be a master. Bear in mind that these two are slightly different concepts, not to be mistaken with perceived male dominance either. A free man does not consciously want to be a master among the slaves, he wishes rather for all to be free and would prefer a company of his peers. Not all are equal though and a natural pecking order is established in a free society (our society is not free, for the sake of clarity, hence a practical example cannot be drawn from it). But still they all are free and it is easy for the free to accept that some are smarter, richer or have more talent. Can one be part slave and part free man? Public service does not mean slavery, the perfect example being Cato, a modest man and idealistic servant of the late Republic. Having established this fact, and still remembering the previous paragraphs about dual personality and army conscription, it is easy to conclude, that a monolithic personality is of either a slave or a free man type. A free man type further divides into master and non-master types. Is the slave/free man mentality inborn or acquired? Both circumstances are certainly possible and the ultimate answer might be out of our grasp, since the experiment would have to be conducted twice regarding the same subject, and this is impossible. One final remark to consider do we need slaves, as we have been told for millenia? Do we need an obedient group ready to be oppressed? If you think so, rethink. The last challenge for the brave: find out what Darius inscribed in Behistun, why is he noble, and what does this nobility mean?