The books of the “Hunger Games” trilogy are very interesting and valuable regarding their view on the relationship of humans and society. That is also the case for the movies. It is very impressively displayed how the behavior of humans can be influenced by the surroundings that they are exposed to. And it is also demonstrated in a very imposing way how extensively and fundamentally the surroundings and its rules can be shaped to serve a purpose and provoke a wanted behavior. This is also addressed directly by one of the characters in the story, when Peeta and Katniss sit on the roof terrace in the capitol before the beginning of the games.
When we are young, we accept the world as it appears in front of us. We learn the rules of our surroundings. We adapt a behavior, we adjust to fit in. The environment is already there and appears fixed, it takes a certain age before we start to question it. First we assume that the rules have always been there, are there for a good reason, given to humanity with good intentions by other people or by god. Maybe we also believe at some point, as I did some time ago, that the rules are a result of the nature of mankind, reflecting the innate character and needs of humans, and derived from them. At some point it can happen that we notice how significantly our behavior is influenced, and how different this impact can be. For me, the story of Hunger Games triggered this process, which is why I mention it on my blog. In the books and movies many phenomena are visualized well, and many philosophic topics are touched.
As long as we are happy and compliant, we will not notice any kind of arena, at least not in a negative way. That should be the case when we are children. As teenagers many humans begin to become unhappy and critical in some situations. But it is still difficult to put the resistance into words, to demand something, or even impact the surroundings, because at that age we are evolving a lot, are confronted with major changes of ourselves, and do not have much experience yet. As we get older, we will, if we work on it, eventually become adults. In any case we come of age, are allowed to decide for ourselves, get more freedom to act. We can even disappoint the expectations that others have of us, and do what we think is best. Then we usually get in touch with the arena. Because in the arena, there are rules and a law is enforced. We learn the rules when we are young, we learn to act accordingly, we learn to think accordingly. Our parents already grew up in the arena, and what has changed since then we can learn in kindergarten, at school, in movies or television, or in social media. That way we grow into the arena, and as long as we think the way we learned to, we barely notice it. Especially we barely notice how much the arena influences us and limits us.
In a first step we must be confronted with something that we cannot agree with. That should have happened at some point in most peoples life. In a second step we must have the ambition to find a solution. And we must give it sufficient priority, so we take the time to look at the situation, and do not allow the next best thing to distract us again. For example, if I am unhappy with the way I treat someone at work, or the way I get treated, then I must take a closer look how this behavior develops. Often there are reasons why we act in a certain way, an often those reasons can be traced back to the rules that are enforced in our work place or in the general environment. If I observe those rules closer, see wehere they come from, where they are applied, then I will get closer to the rules of the arena. When I made my way down to the general beliefs, which form the foundation of the rules, then I have progressed to the structural framework that the arena is made of. Only few individuals get this far, because it takes much time and effort. We must think independently, logically, to get from the various annoyances of everyday life to the beliefs of a society. That is the path we must take if we want to be able to see the arena for what it is.
The arena was formed and is maintained by forces that want to challenge us. If we would be cared for in our best interest throughout the entirety of our life, we would never need to take responsibility, would never need to become free, and would never need to evolve as a human. The significant features of a human are self-awareness and freedom. Freedom is a potential planted in all humans, but we must take it and grow it. That requires willpower and work. Only when we are challenged can we develop the required counterforce that is needed to take freedom.