COMPLIANCE vs. FREEDOM: One to Reject and One to Protect

Freedom is a particularly important topic today, as it is Veterans’ Day. First off, if any service members are reading this, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. You hold the line to keep our freedom secure. I know that freedom is not free, so my deepest gratitude goes out to you for your sacrifice.

Recently, I read The Maze Runner series by James Dashner for the first time. This series has been on my TBR for years, and I am so sad that I waited so long to read it. This series was incredible! I loved it so much, and it kept me guessing until the very end. I read all three books in a matter of days. So much happened to me in those five days. Honestly, I am still processing exactly which parts of the books touched me deepest and how I have changed since reading them.

When I finished the third book, I simply sat, dumbstruck, for at least 30 minutes. I just needed a moment to breathe and process. I even reread the ending twice just because so much happened. I was on the edge of my seat through the whole series. It was one of those amazing books that consumed my thoughts for weeks, even after I had finished reading.

Though I wish I had read it sooner, I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I am not sure that I would have appreciated this series nearly as much as I did if I had read it earlier in my life. One of the themes that stuck with me was freedom and compliance, especially in the third book. Compliance is the antithesis of freedom. Compliance takes away your choices, while freedom gives you choices.

Quick side note: this book has so many plot twists and excitement that I do not want to spoil the fun for anyone else, so I am going to be as vague as possible to not give anything away, but ifykyk.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD***

There isn’t a specific quote that explains exactly what feelings I am left with about compliance and freedom after reading this book, so bear with me while I do my best to explain, while being vague. In the beginning, Thomas, Newt, and Minho choose not to get their memories back. Even though everyone else chose to listen to WICKED and trusted them to give their memories back, the three boys refused to comply. They stood on principle and refused to let anyone mess with their brains again. WICKED used every manipulation tactic they could, eventually ending up with brute force, and even then, they refused to comply.

This refusal to comply could be seen as stubborn, but I saw it as something else: a rebellion against compliance in search of freedom. Thomas, Newt, and Minho were searching to be free – free to make their own choices, free to control their own brains, free to be themselves. WICKED had forced them to comply for years from the Maze through the Scorch, and even to the end, they sought compliance.

WICKED promised that their compliance would lead to the cure. They tried to convince the boys that blindly following their orders was the only way to save the world. It reminded me of a quote said often by the bad guys in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show:

“Compliance will be rewarded.”

They use this phrase to brainwash good guys to fight for bad guys. This phrase is the anthem of Hydra at the start of the show, and I think about it often. The reward at the end of their compliance is a loss of yourself. Through compliance, you lose your freedom. You are forced to make choices, choices that are only a farce. You never really have a choice.

Thomas, Newt, and Minho never really had a choice. When they refused to comply, the Rat Man from WICKED retaliated and told them they never really had a choice, and they must comply. Yet, these three valiant boys persist. They choose to fight for their freedom. They reject the notion of compliance in favor of freedom.

Freedom is worth fighting for. In our modern-day society, with an intent upon thrusting us into boxes and making us choose sides, we must have the courage to stand up against compliance. Our world tries to split us into factions, only for those factions to bind us with rules of what we are “supposed” to say and “supposed” to do. In a culture of compliance, it is up to individuals to stand up for freedom. God gave us free will, and our Constitution protects this God-given right.

I will conclude with another Marvel quote from Peggy Carter:

“Compromise where you can, but where you can't - don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right, even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, 'No. YOU move.’"

We must stand up against compliance because if we don’t, our freedom will slip away. Take the road less travelled, and do not be afraid to stand up for the right thing, especially when it is the hard thing.

On this Veteran’s Day, let us remember and appreciate those brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect the freedom guaranteed to us in this beautiful nation. They have held the line, refusing to move an inch, protecting our freedom with everything they have.

In moments when it may seem easier to comply, remember the fiery spirit of Thomas, Newt, and Minho, who were willing to risk everything in search of freedom, and remember with gratitude the brave souls who have done the same in the real world.

God Bless our Troops. God Bless our Veterans. God Bless America.

As always, I hope to hear from you. Click the button below to send me a message.

P.S. Remember to tell a Veteran thank you today and everyday.

Amazon Link: The Maze Runner Box Set

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