Don't get me wrong, as someone who has retired at the age of 42 and have been debt free aside from a mortgage on my home, I abhor debt and understand that more than anyone. But everyone's financial situation is different and saying a penny of debt is equal to slavery is nothing but hyperbole.
Sure, living in a van and travelling the world is a great and free life style. But some people want families and a home and land for their children to grow up in. Who is more enslaved in that regard then, the renter or the home owner with a mortgage?
Everything is relative in the end.