Reading Kafka in Hebrew, probably for the 30th time or so and encountered a quote which I like.
No, I didn’t want freedom. Only a way out—to the right or left or anywhere at all. I made no other demands, even if the way out should also be only an illusion. The demand was small; the disappointment would not be any greater—to move on further, to move on further! Only not to stand still with arms raised, pressed against a crate wall.
Kafka, A report to the Academy
Translation is from a Kafka English repository
The previous sentence discussed how people see Freedom and yearn it, while the Ape is not looking for freedom, just a way out.
I find it quite relevant to our daily lives. We always love to use the word “Freedom”. A few years back I was in Phnom Penh chatting with friends and talking about freedom and human rights in Japan, when my friend said in an almost angry voice “you have no idea what you are talking about”.
We always seek freedom and talk about it, but are we ever “Free”? Shouldn’t we always look for a way? A way to lead us to a better place, a way-out from a bad place.