Living in A Cage.

People today are, in the true sense of the word, raised in cages, with a lack of independence and opinions regarding anything that happens- anything dictating their life. This applies from the second they’re born, until years after one’s death.

They go from a sorry, bloody, and painful birth to immediately being placed in a cage to keep them warm, because that’s how humans like it. Soon enough, they get moved to a house and placed in a barred crib, getting daily rations of breast milk or apple sauce- a ratio dictated by parents nevertheless.

Later on, they get crammed in classrooms where they are forced to sit in neat, straight rows, answer questions, speak only when spoken to, stare straight ahead, write down scribbles equivalent to certain meanings, and then get graded on it by those possessing more intellect.

Afterwards, we move onto wasting away in a cubicle, following a schedule set up by our superiors, a schedule that, if broken, can result into a termination of our living wages, sentencing us to an untimely death.

Sure, there are vacations and weekends, a certain number of days determined by the progress made whilst sitting in your jail cell. Outdoor time which can likewise be approved or denied by those that hold a higher standing than you. Yet that is nothing but a false sense of independence provided to one by the more powerful, in order to prevent a potential world-wide revolution. A lack of the false independence granted to us, would open our eyes as to how truly fucked up our species is, and help us notice the thick steel bars caging humanity, the barbed wire and the armed guards.

Soon enough there’s children, a mortgage, car insurance, bills. You now have to pay money in order to continue living your caged-up lifestyle. And blindly, you do. No one can blame you though, it’s the only life you’ve known since you were born. It’s comfortable. You have never known different, so you like it- the outside world is dangerous. Venturing outside the barbed wire fence cannot possibly even be thought of. “It’s crazy.” They say. “Don’t be a fucking bum, you’ve got kids to raise.”

Towards the end of the road, you are old, getting ready to retire, and then the only thing keeping you caged will be the limitations of your own body. You’re wiser. You’ve realized that your entire life was spent in a cage, doing the work of others, and the thing you crave most of all now is independence. And yet, although that is when we feel younger than ever, our bodies are slowly decaying before our very eyes, and there’s nothing one could ever do to reverse the effect. The back and knee pains, the ulcers, the liver damage, the drowsiness- there’s no fighting it. You’ve given in a long time ago, and didn’t even know it. Your fate was sealed with the scribble of a pen upon a piece of paper, the moment you were born.

As soon as you die, you get put in a wooden coffin, and have the lid nailed shut. No one mourns. Everyone knew death would come eventually. It comes for all of us.

And although we are still trapped inside a physical box, that is the only time we’re truly free.

The metaphorical key that frees us from the jail cells we condemn ourselves to, the jail cells whose wardens and guards are likewise living in their own cages, is living for others. Forget making a living, forget working your ass off everyday from nine to five just so you can afford to pay the bills of an apartment you moved into straight out of High-school, and find yourself still living in, ten years later. The idea of love, empathy, reliance, mercy and faith is completely on the other side of the barbed wire fence.

The food in our prison is a three-meal-a-day schedule, established by our wardens.

We start off the mornings with a nice bowl of Ego. The Ego is there to satisfy our deep, innermost craving for attention, for validation. It’s the occasional post on social media to subconsciously brag about our oh-so-perfect lives. Our ego is our little escape- a chance to prove to the world that we are perfectly happy. And it might fool them, but it will never fool our own self. Nothing can fill that Ego craving.

Lunch is a warm slice of self-preservation. Our human instincts demand that we value our own lives above everyone else’s. Thus, we choose to do things that are best for our well-being- which is, in key, a good concept. However, it normally results in a more self-absorbed, narcissistic and apathetic way of life. Yummy.

To finish off the day, we delight ourselves in the world’s most elegant dish- two plates of good old fear. The thing about fear is that there are so many kinds, that you never get tired of it. Fear of humans, fear of life, fear of death, fear of God, fear of exclusion, fear of disapproval, fear of being your own damn self. Fear starts out as a seed planted deep within our souls from a very early age, only to sprout into an oak tree with its roots strongly latched around our hearts and brains, leaving us to feel but one thing- that is, fear itself.

And there you have it- a healthy meal plan. Healthy at least, in the eyes of the caged society we’ve been bred into.

How in the world can one break free from that vicious cycle? How do we finally get the key to escape the jail in which we are all sentenced on the death row, knowing any meal could be our last? As mentioned above, the key to living a shackle-free lifestyle is devoting your life to helping those around you, as opposed to putting oneself in the centre of the universe. On this planet, in this seven-billion people society, our own lives are seldomly significant. Many live their life in a vain attempt at striking gold, as if life was a 50 Cent song. But it is that very idea of a fortune that drives people to chase the material riches of the world, and ultimately sends them spiraling towards self-destruction. As time goes by, everyone begins to realize that they have wasted their lives constantly running after whatever it is that may provide them with a false sentiment of satisfaction with oneself- and never took a second to sit back and breathe.

On the other hand, if one were to ask volunteers or missionaries, they would tell you that their life is entirely fulfilled. Although one might think that those who invest themselves into making the world a better place are really wasting their own lives, the ones in question don’t feel that way. Fighting to make the world a better place and attempt to spread love is the only noble cause, truly worth fighting for. Wars are caused with the hopes of resulting into peace, but they normally only lead to a temporary safety, and significantly more death, blood and destruction. Benjamin Franklin once said “There was never a good war, or a bad peace.” It is sad to realize that the only means of achieving peace is through war- and moreover sadder to see that each one of us is, subconsciously, a war prisoner. Fighting is done in many different ways- escaping the cage is a struggle. But the self fulfillment achieved from that, far outweighs the lengthy and painful escape process. As soon as you start investing yourself into the bettering of other people’s lives, all the sacrifice will be worth it.

Countless people are doing that today. Doctors working in Africa to help treat sick children. Entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, raising and donating money to charitable causes. People being martyred for their religion. Surgeons working for hours to save the life of one patient. Firefighters losing their lives trying to rescue others. Young teachers working in third world countries, to give those children an opportunity at an education. These are the real heroes of our society. These are the people that have fled their cages, and that now live for the sole purpose of making the world a better place.

We are insignificant, that is true. But to ourselves, we are the one thing that we can control, and the only thing we’ll ever know. Our lives must not be spent on a faint, unsure idea of trying to make a fortune, or leave a legacy or a reason for the world to remember our name. We take none of that with us when we’re getting buried beneath the ground. The one part that lives on is the love we’ve shared, and the difference our soul has made. Everything else is pointless. The sooner people start realizing that, the sooner peace becomes inevitable, and the doors of our cage will burst wide open.