The Linearity of Time and the Exclusivity of Opportunity
As long as human beings are bound to the axes of three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time, freedom is not an abstract concept but a matter of “physical occupancy.” For me to occupy a specific space, opportunity, or resource at a specific time is an act that physically erases the possibilities of another who desired that same space at that exact moment. Because resources are finite and time is irreversible, every “freedom of choice” enjoyed by a subject blossoms by feeding upon someone else’s “renunciation” or “elimination.” Viewed from this perspective, freedom is not an elegant monologue, but the outcome of a ruthless zero-sum game played over a limited pie.
Leverage: The Art of Transmuting Another’s Time into One’s Own Freedom
As seen in the previously discussed cases of Steve Jobs or the upper class, those who enjoy an extremely expanded realm of freedom usually buy the time of others to preserve their own. By designing systems, they utilize the time of tens of thousands of people as “leverage” to manifest their personal vision. While the designer’s freedom is amplified in this process, those who serve as that leverage are forced to live within the temporal trajectory mapped out by the designer. In other words, a high degree of freedom is like a fortress erected upon a foundation of “ruthless efficiency”—the ability to control and manage the time of others.
The Weight of Freedom: The Courage to Face Another’s Sacrifice
A person genuinely awakened to freedom does not believe their liberty is “immaculate.” Instead, they clearly perceive the brutal reality that their single step forward stands on the trampled opportunities of others. Unable to bear the guilt brought by this truth, many people hide behind a “script of morality” once more or evade it by claiming they “had no choice.” However, a true subject embraces that ruthlessness as their own responsibility. The determination to fully shoulder all the criticism and consequences born of that choice, if one must strip away another’s opportunity to remain free—this is the completion of freedom.
Conclusion: Ruthlessness Is the ‘Shadow’ and ‘Evidence’ of Freedom
Ultimately, freedom is not a warm solidarity, but existence as a cold, solitary individual. While I challenge the impossible and dismantle the boundaries of the system according to my own principles, the system will attempt to thwart me, and others will envy my achievements or find themselves marginalized by them.
The reason freedom has no choice but to stand upon ruthlessness is that this world is fundamentally an “energy circulation structure maintained only when one devours another.” The awakened being does not deny this predatory essence; they simply write their own sublime narrative amidst that very ruthlessness.
The Intellectual Property of Min Jinseong
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