FREEDOM - Can WE Have It ?

There she laid trapped in a box. A box so dark even her thoughts lost color. Each passing day the box grew smaller and smaller until she couldn’t even breath. The walls were crushing her she wanted to break free, but she couldn’t. She heard a voice outside narrating the horrors and travesty.

Each day, she was told about all the chaos and madness out there, how dangerous it was there. It is safer inside, the voice said. Safer inside she scoffed. She couldn’t even breath here, couldn’t move a toe or even a finger nail. It was horrid inside, she wanted to stand, stretch her body, walk, run, jump, dance, break free.

But what about the voice, how would it feel, would it be disappointed or would it be ashamed of me? She was worried about the judgement of the nameless, faceless voice.

Finally, one day the box became so small that the walls were crushing her. Her skin tearing, blood spilling and the crack of her bones. She couldn’t do it, the box was killing her. Her whole being was on fire, she was burning, she had to get out. She used all her strength to push back the walls. Now you have space to breathe again, just stay in there the world outside will be too much for you, it would ruin you, the voice warned.

But she couldn’t focus on anything except her own exhaustion she was tired of being trapped in the box. With one final push she stood up and tore the walls apart.

She was covered in her own blood sweat and tears but she was free. She was finally free, she took in her surroundings, she saw color, people bustling with energy walking around, little boys running about screaming delightedly. The voice was wrong she thought, the outside world is beautiful. But boy was she wrong, she would soon learn the cruelty of the world. She wanted to explore but her exhaustion took over and she was engulfed in darkness.

She woke up to the sound of birds chirping and sunshine gleaming through the windows. For the first time in her life she felt free, until she realized she wasn’t free. She realized this wasn’t where she was yesterday. She tried to get up but she was tied down to a bed. She couldn’t move her arms or legs. She started shaking wildly trying to get out of the restraints or at least loosen them, when a man entered the room.

Oh, you woke up, he stated plainly. Go back to your box little girl, this world isn’t safe for you. You are lucky, I was the one who found you, if it were someone else you wouldn’t be alive right now. She was shaking, shivering, panicking and telling herself to breathe.

This was what the voice warned her about, but where was the voice now? Why wasn’t it protecting her? It promised her that it would always be there for her. It cared about her didn’t it or was it just a ploy to prevent her from coming out? The voice was just like the man wasn’t it, it was all a lie, she wondered sadly. She took a deep breathe, thought to herself I tore apart the walls, I can break free from these restraints. With one strong tug, she broke apart the restraints, she knocked the man out and ran. She ran for her life, she ran as fast as she could, as far as she could before collapsing.

She was engulfed in darkness yet again. She woke up to voices, hushed, angry and some disbelieving. She was exhausted, she couldn’t wake up, she couldn’t do anything but listen to these voices. They mocked her, scorned at her and they laughed at her. They were disgusted at her, just because she broke free from that dull and lifeless box.

She listened to them, discuss all the horrors they would do to her if she didn’t go back to the box. They wanted to destroy her, tear apart her entire being and break her soul until nothing but an empty shell was left. That would teach her a lesson, they said.

This is when she knew that throughout her journey forward, she would be abused both physically and mentally. But she knew she couldn’t go back now, all she could do was follow the light and hope it would take her to a better place.

There were difficulties, just as she had thought. They derided her, they scoffed at her, they dismissed her and told her she was worthless. They pushed her down, punched her and kicked her. But she could walk now, run, jump, she was happy even through all her bruises, nothing was worse than being trapped in that box.

That didn’t mean, she didn’t wish for a better world. She wasn’t greedy, but was it selfish to wish that the world wasn’t such a horrible place. She ached for a day where she could breathe, laugh, smile, without thinking about all the people trying to ruin her, just because she chose not be trapped in the box like the rest. She just wanted one day, where she could talk to who ever she wanted without wondering if they were out to get her.

She just hoped for a world where there were no dark boxes, no voices and no one pushing her down trying to break her. Only then would she be truly free, India would be free. 



Why was the world so cruel? Why did everyone want to push her down? Why did they want to clip off her wings before she could fly? Why couldn’t she step out of the box feeling safe? Why can’t we keep her safe without throwing her into a lifeless box? Just why?