In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela writes:
"Prison not only robs you of your freedom, it attempts to take away your identity. Everyone wears the same uniform, eats the same food, follows the same schedule. It is by definition a purely authoritarian state that tolerates no independence or individuality. As a freedom fighter and as a man one must fight against the prison's attempt to rob one of these qualities."
I wrote this down as soon as I read it as the irony and the wisdom of these words did not escape me, at any level.
How do we define "prison"? We can say that prison is that which has been constructed by our ego and our fears, our two greatest enemies. When caught in their paralyzing grip, the sunshine disappears, fog rolls in, the smiles retreat, and so does the peace. By succumbing to the warders of this prison our souls, without pure light, starts to die, for this is not our authentic self, just our "false self" which seeks dominion at every turn and constantly lures us into this black and grey world that is bereft of all joy and ...freedom.
Our stifling world of conformity can also be a prison if we allow it.
"Prison not only robs you of your freedom, it attempts to take away your identity. Everyone wears the same uniform, eats the same food, follows the same schedule. It is by definition a purely authoritarian state that tolerates no independence or individuality. As a freedom fighter and as a man one must fight against the prison's attempt to rob one of these qualities."
I wrote this down as soon as I read it as the irony and the wisdom of these words did not escape me, at any level.
How do we define "prison"? We can say that prison is that which has been constructed by our ego and our fears, our two greatest enemies. When caught in their paralyzing grip, the sunshine disappears, fog rolls in, the smiles retreat, and so does the peace. By succumbing to the warders of this prison our souls, without pure light, starts to die, for this is not our authentic self, just our "false self" which seeks dominion at every turn and constantly lures us into this black and grey world that is bereft of all joy and ...freedom.
Our stifling world of conformity can also be a prison if we allow it.