An excellent essay Sunni - you raised several points that resonated with me, particularly the problem with systems taking on a life of their own, and hence becoming, as I see it, masters instead of helpful servants and guides. I see this all around me (and, ironically, often in the administration of 'centres of learning' - i.e., universities - where systems = rampant control mechanisms otherwise known as bureaucracies, with only one apparent aim, which is to stifle individual thought in academics and students alike).

Using systems to control people in these ways is the antithesis of individual liberty, and a sign of emotional and social dysfunction (for eg, my own research in business management suggests that an emphasis on controlling others is associated with low self-esteem, which is perhaps the most critical emotional indicator).

Thanks for the essay.