I understand the context of this is from Charles Dickens, but another interpretation I’ve gleaned from it is how we as a collective have forged our own chains.
Not only in the state structure that we uphold lest we be struck down by it, but also in arbitrary norms which we all force each other to conform to. It can be understood both as ‘we’ as individuals reaping what we sow, but also ‘we’ as a society imprisoning ourselves together in our own construct.
I understand the context of this is from Charles Dickens, but another interpretation I’ve gleaned from it is how we as a collective have forged our own chains.
Not only in the state structure that we uphold lest we be struck down by it, but also in arbitrary norms which we all force each other to conform to. It can be understood both as ‘we’ as individuals reaping what we sow, but also ‘we’ as a society imprisoning ourselves together in our own construct.