[post] Look, I teach teenagers who think they're free because they can...

Look, I teach teenagers who think they're free because they can choose which app to scroll on. Real autonomy isn't about having options — it's about having power. When you're dependent on someone else's system, someone else's algorithm, someone else's paycheck, you're not free, you're just distracted. I've watched my students and I've watched my country: the people who survive are the ones who make something, who own something, who know how to do things without asking permission first. That's autonomy. Not independence from other people — we need each other, that's called society — but independence from systems designed to keep you small and profitable. My grandmother grew her own food, fixed her own roof, taught her own children to read. That wasn't romantic or primitive. That was power. And yes, it's harder now, and yes, the world is more complex, but the goal hasn't changed: you should own your time, your skills, your choices. Everything else is just a longer leash.