Freedom has a cost.
Freedom!!
Is it a genuine call or a mindless chant?
Once there was a retired revolutionist who spent most of his youth behind the bars raising the slogan “Freedom!! Freedom !! Freedom!!”. He decided to move to a peaceful place on the hill to spend his remaining life. To keep him company he bought a talking parrot.
Interestingly, he kept the parrot in the cage and taught him the slogan of Freedom. The parrot repeated the slogan over and over.
One day a poet, who was an old friend of the retired revolutionist visited him. Both friends talked about the good old days. The poet couldn’t help but notice the constant chanting of the parrot. He was saddened by his longing to be free from the cage and fly high in the sky.
He decided to free him from his misery but obviously, he didn’t want to upset his friend. So he thought it would be better if he executed his plan later. It was midnight, after ensuring the retired revolutionist was fast asleep, the poet went to the parrot opened his cage, and said.
“Today my friend, I will fulfill your desire to be free.”
But to his astonishment, the parrot didn’t fly instead gave him a scary look. Poet was puzzled. He tried to force the parrot out but got bitten by him. His hands got covered in blood but he wasn’t giving up.
The parrot was struggling to stay in the cage but the poet was determined to free him. At last, the poet succeeded in his mission. He went to bed with fulfillment.
The next morning, when the poet woke up he could not believe what he saw. The parrot was sitting inside the cage and its door was still open. He was chanting
“Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”
Freedom has a cost. Are you willing to pay?
When longing for freedom arises one needs to be sure that whether it is a genuine call or just a mindless chant picked up from someone. A cage can provide comfort and security. But Freedom demands courage, a sense of responsibility, and constant awakeness. Freedom has a cost. Are you willing to pay?
Author’s note:
This is an adapted version of an ancient story narrated by Osho. You can find the story here.
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