The Illusion of Independence

As someone born and brought up in Nepal, now in my 20s, this is the first time I have found myself deeply invested in politics. Maybe it is because of age, awareness, or simply because the world feels louder than ever. It feels like everywhere we look, something is changing. Either politically, economically or socially. Though the world has never truly been at peace, there is something different about being aware of it while living through it.

One thought that keeps returning to me is how humans create systems of fairness, laws, and rules to protect society. “By the people, to the people, for the people” sounds like the perfect idea. But history shows that humans are also the ones who constantly break the very systems they create. We create laws, then find ways around them. We create justice, then debate who deserves it.And in the process, ordinary people often end up carrying the consequences of decisions made by those in power.

Maybe power has always existed. In every species, there is some form of hierarchy. Whether it is ants, whales, or humans, survival often depends on structure and dominance. But the human understanding of power is different. We have created ideas, institutions, economies, and governments that determine how we live. Today, power is no longer just about physical strength or territory but about influence, resources, and especially money.

Money has become one of the strongest forces shaping human existence. I do not mean this metaphorically; I mean it in the most literal sense. Almost everything we do is connected to it. Even the simplest needs of life require economic access. We often spend years questioning our purpose, our identity, and our dreams, but rarely stop to question why the system that supports our survival is built around money.

Capitalism was created around the idea of economic freedom. The idea that individuals could create, earn, and build a life beyond traditional systems of control. It gave people opportunities that did not exist before. But at the same time, it also created a reality where we can never truly escape the economy itself. We may have freedom in many ways, but we are still dependent on a system where money determines access, choices, and opportunities.

Another thing, I belive we rarely question is whether we still create original thoughts. The internet has given us access to unlimited knowledge, but it has also changed the way we think. Many times, the words we were searching for, the opinions we were forming, or the feelings we could not explain are already perfectly written somewhere online. That way, we are constantly influenced by what we see. Algorithms decide what appears in front of us, what topics become important, and sometimes even what we should care about. One moment we are scrolling casually, and the next we are emotionally invested in an issue that we may have never thought about before seeing it online.

Everything is available at our fingertips. Information, opinions, entertainment, and answers are all just a click away. But somewhere between having access to everything and being constantly connected, we have to ask ourselves if we are becoming more aware, or simply becoming more influenced? Are we becoming more political because we understand the world better, or because we are constantly surrounded by opinions? Are we becoming more independent because we have more choices, or less independent because so many of our choices are shaped before we even realize it?

The challenge of this generation is not just understanding the world, but understanding how much of our own thinking truly belongs to us.