I've often wondered how free I am, and I suspect you have too.

Absolutely! One could say that even our obligations placed on ourselves restrict our freedoms and this extends out to our families, our societies, our jobs and then there is what our leadership imposes.

My lineage is mixed, meaning that when I look in the mirror, I see evidence of my supposedly African past in my caramel-colored skin.

This is something I've often ruminated on and it came up as a discussion point in a video I saw recently. The video was of a young Chinese girl with her afro hair being styled by her mother who had the straight, black hair we see as more traditionally chinese. Many assumed that there must be some recent African genetics in the family for the girl to have such tight curled afro hair, but there wasn't. A genealogist was explaining that this is merely a genetic trait which can emerge anywhere in the world (is just more common in African populations), including in white populations and makes complete sense if you think that we all descended from the same source which is generally thought to be African anyway. I love the way genetics throws out these different visual traits, sometimes at surprising moments. I don't think many people today could truly say their lineage isn't mixed and that's a good thing. The Habsburgs are probably a good example of why keeping bloodlines pure is not a very good idea. 😅

It suffices to consider the unequal distribution of wealth—without resorting to Manichean thinking to blame the rich (who are simply following their instincts and exploiting the system's vulnerabilities)—to conclude that we live in a world of slavery that proclaims itself civilized in pursuit of the common good.

Another very good point and another topic I've also been thinking about a lot lately. I've been listening to Gary Stevenson, an economist who came from an impoverished background which has given him a perspective that most economists don't have. In this video clip he says the same thing himself that the rich will just do what they can to increase their wealth in whatever way the system allows them to. I don't see that pattern ending any time soon, but we can be hopeful.