Friday, September 5, 2008

The Free Man

Freedom is a fundamental right
So says the constitution
But is a man really free
Tis the million dollar question

He is not enslaved by a feud
Nor are his hands bound by a chain
He has everything he needs
But still his heart is filled with pain

What is this misery?
That cannot be seen
That cannot be heard
Only felt deep down within
Wailing like a caged bird

This is the cry of slavery
Slavery of the mind
The feeling is so wretched
It surpasses miseries of every other kind

And he questions
'Where from, did this misery come?'
That which wasn't there in the past
How has it now made my clear skies overcast

But truth be told
It has been there all the while
Right from the days
When he was a child

His parents freed him off his choices
And made his decisions for him
His teachers freed him off his questions
And made his mind glow dim
His manager freed him off his decisions
And decided how his future would be
His girlfriend freed him off his duties
And made him live just for she.

'What is the solution?'
He now asks
'How do I break free?'
'From the prison these mundane tasks.'

Replying to which the yogi says
'The chains of slavery have to fall.'
'Nobody can free a man.'
'He himself has to make the call.'

'Wake up from the state of being brain dead.'
'If you truely want to be free.'
'Follow these words which a great man once said.'
'A man is free the moment he wants to be.'

3 comments:

Rakesh Babu G R said...

I don't know dude.
It's getting tougher and tougher to to go against survival.

But then, "no pain, no gain".

Good poem, especially the ending.

evilsense said...

Freedom like "selflessness" is greatly misunderstood by majority in this world.

The question of freedom really confuses me because I cannot understand what freedom really means, does it mean to do what "you" want to do? where "you" means your ego which is influenced by "external" agencies again? Or does freedom mean randomness, where things seem unpredictable? [ i.e., if you dont notice the predictable nature of your lifestyle, you feel free? ]

The freedom that is mentioned in constitution is highly overrated. If it a feeling, then the yogi is right. The words wont re-wire the brain, so even if you read or understand 'A man is free the moment he wants to be.', it wont make a difference, your brain makes u feel locked again. It requires something more, a practice, an experience, ... A change in the way of thinking is not easy...

Nithinkrishna Shenoy said...

I agree with "A man is free the moment he wants to be".

But about - "Teachers freed him off his questions and made his mind glow dim" - this may not be the case always.

@ Evil Sense: Freedom is the feeling of free will. :)