To understand that you are not free at least assumes awareness of said condition. With awareness there can be hope of change through the application of effort. To not even be aware of that which binds you to a given state or condition allows no hope of change. How can one act against a state they are unaware of? If you believe you are free yet are not you will never act against that which restricts you. That state of enslavement will go unchallenged. -- Zan, Hudson, MA Zan has it right. There are some good points made in other replies, but remember that Goethe died long before 9/11. It's something that we do need to recognize and apply to our view of the world, but that application is for us to make, and isn't part of what Goethe meant.