For the wild at heart who are enclosed in cages. For those with wings, who are afraid to fly.
There was once a Polar Bear known by the name Arturo. He was kept in captivity in a zoo in Argentina. Isolated after his companions death, he showed symptoms of severe depression, weakness and anxiety and lashed out on the glass windows of his enclosure. He came to be known as “The World’s Saddest Polar Bear”. Some say he died due to the inappropriate environmental conditions he was kept in, but according to popular belief, he died of depression on 3rd July 2016 in Buenos Aires.
Animals are kept in captivity by the force of human beings (if we could be called human, that is) but unlike animals, we have a choice.
All of us are born with a free spirit and a wild heart. Then why is that with time only an infinitesimal number of us remain the same? The cages we build often start off as boundaries that mark one’s own self-esteem and personal space. With time, the boundaries become fences, keeping us safe and sound. Negative experiences such as shame, guilt, loss, neglect, embarrassment, being put down and being hurt give rise to something similar to molten metal, which, with time turns cold and hard. Each subsequent negative experience acts a new metal bar, making the cage stronger.
We build cages to prevent ourselves from feeling vulnerable or being hurt. But we forget that the cages were built based on the actions or words of a selected few people. Trapped in the cage of the past, our emotions tarnish and the life force in us diminishes. Cages cause isolation and too much of it makes us isolate ourselves from the world. We begin to look out at the world rather than identify ourselves as a part of it. Our loved ones become visitors.
Cages not only keep others out but trap us in. Cages push us back even when we want to reach out during our emotional surges. The gate to the cage is pretty much open. All it takes is a little bit of courage, forgiveness, tolerance if not the ability to forget, and the art of simply letting go for being hurt is a part of life. And when you do come out of the cage and make yourself vulnerable again, someone will be there for you and say “Welcome to the real world. It sucks! You’re gonna love it.”
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The last line is borrowed from the T.V. series “F.R.I.E.N.D.S.”.
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Skepseis 