Introduction
In Daniel Quinn’s book, the main character said, “But it should be noted that what is crucial to your survival as a race is not the redistribution of power and wealth within the prison but rather the destruction of the prison itself” (Quinn 78). The author linked three different ideas and concepts in this particular statement. He talked about the survival of the human race, the redistribution of power and wealth, and the destruction of the prison. However, this particular statement can be supported if one has a correct understanding of the context of the statement. It must be understood from the perspective of a revolutionary hoping to change the current situation marked by discrimination, greed, and exploitation of human and natural resources.
Ishmael is the narrator in Quinn’s book. Ishmael can be considered revolutionary. Thus, he sees the world from a different perspective. He believed that the human race is in a prison facility. However, no one knew about it. He argued that no one knew about it because everyone is preoccupied. People are kept busy with the cares and worries of life. It is a manifestation of the rat race wherein workers give money and a few hours of rest not to achieve self-fulfillment but to get ready for another day.
Discussion
Ishmael’s assessment is nothing new. There are other philosophers who had similar views. But his contribution to the discussion is the idea that the rat race that occurs in everyday life can be compared to a prison. In a prison facility, there is a system that kept all the inmates busy, preoccupied, and relatively safe. Therefore, life inside a prison continues even if the people inside are deprived of their liberty and their right to pursue happiness.
Ishmael also said that just like in an ordinary prison facility, the world today is ruled by white men. He was obviously referring to Caucasians, and he said it from the point of view of a person who lives in a society dominated by white men. Nevertheless, Ishmael highlighted that the white men are not the wardens in the imaginary prison system because they, too, are prisoners. Just like the other inmates, the white men had no idea that they are incarcerated.
The assertion made by Ishmael can be supported based on the premise of the rat race, wherein people toil all their lives and die with nothing. It can also be understood from the framework of consumerism. There are many modern-day philosophers who warned about the evil of consumerism. They also said that it is linked to corporate greed. Combining all these ideas together, one can have an explanation as to why there is suffering, poverty, inequality, discrimination, and frustration in the lives of many people. This realization supports the claim of Ishmael that the solution to these problems is not to develop a better way to redistribute power and wealth but to destroy the prison itself.
The destruction of the prison is akin to the destruction of a particular culture or mindset. In this case, it can be interpreted as a culture of greed, gluttony, and selfishness. People are imprisoned, and they have no idea that they are inside a prison facility because they are the ones who created the prison. Their desire to buy things that they do not need forces them to use their credit cards even if they have no means to pay for it. The desire of corporate leaders to please shareholders forced them in a position wherein they have to lie and cheat just to increase their profit margins. The negative impact of consumerism puts pressure on businessmen to produce high-quality products at low costs. Thus, companies are forced to treat their workers like animals outsource their manufacturing requirements in countries where employees are treated with little respect.
It is, therefore, important to destroy this prison facility. It is important to change the way people think. But the most important question is how to achieve this goal? An image comes to mind. In Sophocle’s Oedipus, the King, a prophet, defied him. For Tiresias defiance, he earned the ire of the king (Grene, Fitzgerald & Wyckoff 40). But it created such a powerful impact for those who had heard about the confrontation. It is an example that a revolution cannot proceed without sacrifice.
Another image comes to mind, and that is of Gilgamesh and Enkidu (Sanders 35). Gilgamesh was a tyrant. He ruled the land with an iron fist. But his demeanor was altered when he was confronted by Enkidu. It is interesting to note that Enkidu did not defeat Gilgamesh, but it can be argued that his heroic stance forced Gilgamesh to reconsider his ways. Ishmael implied the necessity of a revolution. However, it seems that revolution is only possible if there is a hero.
A hero is required to go against corporate greed. A hero is required to go against politicians in collusion with unscrupulous men. A hero is needed to speak against various forms of injustice. A hero is needed to make a sacrifice because ordinary men do not possess qualities like courage and honor. The challenge is to locate the hero in order for people to support him. In most cases, the hero is a reluctant savior. In most cases, the hero shuns publicity and understands the possibility that power can corrupt his character. In many instances, a hero who ousted a tyrant slowly evolved into the man that he loathed in the first place.
In search of the hero who has the capacity and the willingness to destroy Ishmael’s prison, the discussion must shift to Joseph Campbell because he asserted that society could produce a hero. In effect, Campbell made the claim that if a person went through a particular process, then there is a possibility that a hero will be produced. The main aspects of the hero’s journey are departure, initiation, and return (Campbell 12). The potential hero must depart in order to have a different outlook on life. He must undergo the initiation process in order for him to realize the existence of the prison. Finally, he has to return in order to challenge the status quo.
A hero is needed to destroy Ishmael’s prison. The absence of a hero is the reason why the human race is still in prison. There are only a few people who are willing to make that sacrifice. Tiresias fell out of favor of the king. Enkidu went through terrible trials. There are other real-life examples like Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the volunteers who work for free. These people made sacrifices. But the rest of society cannot afford to give the same.
Conclusion
The reason why the human race is still imprisoned in a world of frustration, anger, poverty, inequality, and discrimination is due to the impact of greed, gluttony, and consumerism. The effect can be compared to a prison facility wherein people are deprived of liberty and the capacity to pursue happiness. If people realize that the human race is trapped in this prison facility, then they will do everything they can to break free. The only problem is that it requires a revolution and a hero to lead it. With this realization, people bow down their heads in resignation and declare that there is nothing that they can do. But if more heroes will arise, then the prison walls will come down.
Works Cited
Campbell, Joseph. Hero with a Thousand Faces. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1949. Print.
Grene, David, Robert Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Wyckoff. Sophocles I: Oedipus the King. New York: Modern Library, 1954. Print.
Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael. New York: Bantam, 1993. Print.
Sanders, Mary. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: Penguin, 1972. Print.