The human psyche is indeed an enigma, an alien of sorts. Therefore, it is no wonder I feel a draw to study spirituality. Spiritual mindedness keeps the human mind realistic, in the world, but not of the world.

Human minds are vulnerable to propaganda. The rage to drink bottled water is a prime example of unthinking human minds… until we realized tap water is fine and we don’t want a glut of plastic bottles polluting our earth. Or, another example is the propaganda in North Korea, telling the people they are superior, yet they starve and are isolated from the world.

The book, Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Demick, gives an in-depth look into propaganda and the people who have bucked it. The tome speaks of extraterrestrial courage and stamina in the midst of dark ages thinking.

The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea has been a Communist regime since 1945, and is a sheer clear example of totalitarianism in a modern world. The well-researched story line follows a hand full of people who escaped North Korea.

The book shows the subtly of human reasoning assuming it is divine. It is a case of falsehood claiming to be truth. Ironically, I can see traces of this oppressive framework within countries that vend freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression isn’t generally associated with the freedom to express restriction, starvation, conformity, or pain. Yet this is the result of a leader enforcing the belief that their knowledge and way is superior. This also happens in the fields of science and religion.   We are told certain things are true, when they are not. So, we are careful to follow Truth, God, rather than human ideology.

Freedom of expression means we want, and can, freely to express life, creativity, joy, and wellbeing.