I think this song is expressing the existential view of how freedom of choice is a sort of defining aspect of humanity. Sartre is a French philosopher that basically said that all men are essentially free, and this freedom is expressed through the choices that you make. We must make choices on a day to day basis and we define ourselves through the choices we make. Our "freedom of choice" is interestingly both liberating and confining, in that we often feel overwhelmed and oppressed by our freedom, knowing that once we make a choice and commit an action, there is no going back, and we can never know the consequences of our actions until after we commit them. As a result, it is often true that the happiest folk are those that have very little freedom, those for whom the pressure of decision-making is taken out of their hands.
I feel this song is a general discussion of the significance of the freedom of choice for man, I really don't see any connection with consumerism. If you are interested more in these ideas, I highly recommend reading Sartre. Start here: btinternet.com/~glynhughes/squashed/sartre.htm
I think this song is expressing the existential view of how freedom of choice is a sort of defining aspect of humanity. Sartre is a French philosopher that basically said that all men are essentially free, and this freedom is expressed through the choices that you make. We must make choices on a day to day basis and we define ourselves through the choices we make. Our "freedom of choice" is interestingly both liberating and confining, in that we often feel overwhelmed and oppressed by our freedom, knowing that once we make a choice and commit an action, there is no going back, and we can never know the consequences of our actions until after we commit them. As a result, it is often true that the happiest folk are those that have very little freedom, those for whom the pressure of decision-making is taken out of their hands.
I feel this song is a general discussion of the significance of the freedom of choice for man, I really don't see any connection with consumerism. If you are interested more in these ideas, I highly recommend reading Sartre. Start here: btinternet.com/~glynhughes/squashed/sartre.htm
eg A bird in a cage is free of predators, food shortage, competition for a mate etc
eg A bird in a cage is free of predators, food shortage, competition for a mate etc