Pessimism?

The Massachusetts Constitution states that all men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness. Are men all born free and equal? Obviously the answer is negative, with the axiom as old as the hills that all people are equal but some are more equal than others. How true, and you realize it only when you come of age. Indeed, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau puts it, men are born free but everywhere he is in chains. There are rules and regulations to be conformed to, as well as duties and responibilities shouldered upon right from the minute when you were born. All in the mind? Then, may I ask, when will I ever break free of the shackles from both within and without? A social contract binds us together as communities, and powerful forces of inertia are supplements that foster the Prisoner's Dilemma between us. Selfishness eliminates all possible means of cooperation and hence change. A vicious cycle rolls and before anyone knows it, we are now lost in the abysses of space and time.

I can't go to Taiwan yet, for reasons too complicated to be explained here. I shall update on my recent China trip soon.