The Subjectivity of Freedom

Each quarter, a group of students, faculty, and staff at WWU convene an environmental justice reading group to read and discuss recent texts. This quarter (Spring 2019) the group is reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy. The following entry reflects the group’s discussion last week.

 

The Subjectivity of Freedom

By Alex Hutchinson and Alyssa Tsukada

 

“Complete objectivity is not an option. We are all subjective about the way we respond to ‘what is,’ whether it’s the people we encounter, the circumstances in our lives, or ourselves.”

-Elizabeth Thornton

 

In the Bible Matthew 13:1-23 describes a story that Jesus shared. He spoke of a sower who tossed seeds everywhere he walked. Most seeds landed on gravel, were eaten by birds, or their growth was hindered by choking thorns.  However, some landed in good soil and flourished. The lesson that Jesus was conveying is a metaphor for religion; while a religious message can be shared with many people, only those who want to hear it will find it useful. The biblical passage is known as the Parable of the Sower, and has clear connections with themes in the novel, The Parable of the Sower; however, we think this idea extends beyond the novel and into how our group discussions function. When religious texts are studied, people extract different meanings and find particular passages to be more important to them than they may be others. The same is true when reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. While the book is not a religious text, each person has their own impressions.  These may be based on personal experiences and/or how they interpreted what the author was trying to convey.

Leading up to and including our discussion on Friday, we were decidedly interested in the concept of freedom and its inherent subjectivity. This came about from a very important development in the book: the introduction of the community of Olivar. Perched on the bluffs by the sea in a once-affluent area, Olivar is presented as a company town whose high walls offer protection from the many dangers outside. As members of the protagonist’s community experience unpredictable dangers and setbacks, a safe haven like Olivar becomes increasingly alluring. For people who are used to defending and providing for themselves, and finding their own way through life, being trapped in a company town isn’t particularly appealing. One of the characters expressed how, while neither community had much hope or future, “at least in our neighborhood, we had the guns” (p. 169).

The characters’ divided views on Olivar brought up an interesting discussion: Is it preferable to be trapped and safe, or have freedom but constantly fear lurking dangers? This proved an unanswerable question due to the subjectivity of freedom. Some would define freedom as being able to be in control and have complete autonomy, a luxury we can assume would not be available for the characters who chose to move to Olivar. However, another perspective might reference Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which states that feelings like belonging and self actualization can only be achieved once safety and security are established. Achieving these things seems to be a struggle for those who reside in Lauren’s community.

In regard to the idea of freedom being subjective, it’s interesting to consider the struggles of Bellingham’s homeless population. During the winter, the homeless are given the choice to stay out in the cold or go to local shelters. This choice was even more critical during the cold snaps this winter when temperatures plunged into the teens and below. Many in the homeless community felt uncomfortable with these organizations, who seemed welcoming only to the homeless who were willing to conform to their behavioral standards. Organizations such as HomesNOW were developed in order to address the concerns that the homeless population of Bellingham expressed regarding the strict rules and conditions they are required to adhere to while in City-owned shelters.

While this situation isn’t as harsh as that of the Parable of the Sower, it is something that is affecting those in our communities and should be addressed on a wider scale. As Leslie Martin wrote in her article “Treating People Like Pollution: Homelessness and Environmental Injustice”, “A founding principle of environmental justice is that the environment is not some place ‘out there,’ but is, as we’ve already said, all the places where humans work, sleep, eat, play, and otherwise carry out their lives.” Injustices like these are happening every day in our communities and are often swept under the rug because they only directly affect a population that is not represented in our everyday lives. We read about dystopian futures like that in Parable of the Sower, but we do not realize that those struggles are happening in our own backyard. We need to open our eyes and work towards a supportive, sustainable, and equitable environment.

 

Bibliography:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/env.2016.0021

Butler, Octavia E. Parable Of The Sower. New York : Warner Books, [2000], ©1993. Print.