24-07-2016               

                   An egg was hatched and a small bird was born. As soon as it was born, he was put in a cage. Of course, he couldn’t understand it all. Everyone loved him for the way he was, everyone admired his beauty. He was fed very nicely while everyone was appreciating him at the same time. The cage was also big enough for him to run, jump, climb and hang around.

                                  Time passed and our little beautiful bird soon grew into a full grown mature bird. His tail was long, longer were his wings and so his peck. He looked astoundingly more beautiful than before. Everyone still admired him. Since, the cage was small for him now; he was placed in a bigger cage. He was still fed very nicely according to his taste.

                  One day someone left the cage opened accidently. The bird peeked out and came out. Unable to control his weight he dropped down from the cage on the floor directly. Agonizing pain filled his head. Never in his life ever had he felt so much pain. He was unable to move on his own. Later, someone picked him up gently and put him back in cage.

                  Still paining badly, he promised to himself that he would not set his foot out of the cage again. Even when the cage was opened accidently, he didn’t even make an attempt to come out.

                  This is what had happened to him! He had lost his very instinct to fly!                      

                  And this is what happens to us! We loose our very instinct to be free when we are so much used to the cage. We are raised in a cage for long time and it is quite comfortable. Hardly one notices that it is but still a cage. A cage of norms, cage of religions, cage of relations and cage of our own beliefs about others. And so much is the pain for coming out that we choose to remain inside.

                   But once, one has had a taste of freedom he gradually starts to find everything else, tasteless. He tries in vain to find their original taste in their little old world. But, alas! The die is cast already! He already has had a glimpse outside their world.

                   And that’s what happened to our bird too. While in cage, when he was being fed, taken care of; he remembered those moments when he had tried to come out. He would remember how his wings had tried to help him in vain and he had lost his balance. But he could already feel a new strength in his wings. He was already fluttering them violently in case another situation came up when he had to balance.

                  And soon, a situation came up. The door was left open accidently. This time, still frightened inside, he peeked out and jumped. Fluttering the wings hard, he tried to balance, almost to crash. But the pain was much less than before. Trying to fly further, jumping here and there he reached a window.

                  When he looked out he was flabbergasted. The ground was so much below! He calculated the pain he would suffer if crashed on the ground from that level…He would die!

                  And that’s what happens to us. We think we will die if we try to come out of the cage.

                  Nevertheless, the bird decided to remain on room floor than to return to his cage. He found the room much more pleasant. The family decided that he would be allowed to roam around in the room since he was bigger now, of course, the windows were to be remain closed.

                  But the die had been cast already. He already had seen a glimpse of world outside. And soon the room was not enough for him. Flying all over the room, he felt his wings stronger. He knew he was free but it was still a cage; a bigger one. And he was attracted by the trees, the wind, the birds and the sky. But he also knew, once outside there would be no one to feed him. There would be no one to pick him up if he was to crash on the ground. And once outside, there would be no chance for him to return to his room!

                  And that’s what happens to us! We realize that the journey is not going to end. Rather it is going to become more arduous, more painful. We realize that we may not have the strength to deal with what is outside. That we may end up in just another bigger cage. And there would be no chance of return after the leap.

                 So, what’s the point?...Jumping from a cage to another, creating the pain ourselves?....

                 “But once, one has had a taste of freedom he gradually starts to find everything else, tasteless.”…

               

  One day, the window was left open, accidently…

                 The little boy from the family entered the room. He called out to his father.

               

  “He flew away!”

                -“Hmmm”

                 “Why did he leave us?”

                -“That’s a question you should never ask the one who has left. You should always ask that to yourself.”

                 “Let’s check on the ground in case he has fallen on the floor like last time.”

                -“Never mind…He wouldn’t have taken the leap, if he had thought he was going to fall.”

                 And thus, the bird became free. He might have flown to the sky or would have sat on a tree or may had became busy in catching his food…We never know where we end up once we get out of the cage!

                 The boy kept looking for his signs, but never saw him. He would keep looking at his cage, which lay empty. He called out to his father.

                 “This cage has became just a memory now!”

                -“That’s right. Let it be. Cages are always supposed to be memories, never the present!”…

                 Dedicated to all my friends who want to fly high, but are just waiting for their wings to become stronger…