Many of us feel trapped, prisoners of a reality we dislike. We want to escape, flee, and forget. And yet, escaping, fleeing, and forgetting can cost us our lives.
So, what do we do?
We must find freedom in confinement!
Freedom in confinement? But how is that possible? Isn't freedom being able to go out and go wherever we want?
Yes and no.
Before the lockdown, how many people did you know who, even though they could go out and go wherever they wanted, Were they prisoners of their emotions, their fears, and their grudges?
A lot, right? I'd say a whole lot. And it's precisely this adherence to a set of beliefs that makes them lose their minds and go crazy.
We had been told that running further, going faster, and buying more things was the meaning of life, and yet there was an epidemic of unease all around us.
It seemed that no matter how much we accumulated, no matter how far we ran, we couldn't silence that little voice inside us begging us to stop, observe, and return to the sanity of fairness.
So, today, here and now, stop. Let's do a little exercise together.
Take a deep breath to the count of four. Hold it for two, then exhale as if you are popping a balloon, saying “aahhhhhhh.” Very good, once more. Perfect. One last time. I hope you did it with me. If not, do it. I'll wait here for you.
Do you feel how with each inhale and exhale the tension dissipates? That's right! We have much more control over our mood than they want us to believe. Let's use it to start the release process!
There's a world out there that wants us weak, malleable, and dependent. Enough!
That world whispers in our ear – Are you distressed? Don't worry, I have the magic solution for you. Here is the recipe, take a pill, go shopping, I'll give you credit. Watch the series, I'll feed you the next chapter without you having to lift a finger. Get dulled. Get dulled. Get dulled. Hahahahaha.
And yet, all these “magic” solutions are, at best, mere palliatives. They do not solve the root problem.
We are here to serve, not to be served. It is in giving that we find the deep meaning of life and the reason for our existence on earth.
And what does all of this have to do with finding freedom in confinement? Everything!
In lockdown, we have time for ourselves. Time to reconnect with what is truly important. Our body, our mind, and our spirit.
So, let's make the sun of consistency shine. Let's dedicate this time of confinement to free ourselves from the dungeon of ignorance of our being.
Inside each of us lies a pure, creative, and happy being. A curious, resilient, and deeply grateful girl or boy.
A being who loves you and is persistently asking you to let it out of the dungeon of ego, pride, and madness.
And so, how to let it out? How to free it from the clutches of the abyss?
Well, that's precisely what confinement is for. To free the best version of ourselves from the abyss of lies.
Freedom is not the ability to move freely on the street or to consume, but to own our bodies, our minds, and our spirits.
When we own ourselves, we are free.
The 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”.
And it is here that the formula for freedom in confinement exists!
Nelson Mandela, the first President South African Black, spent 27 years imprisoned by whites, and during that time built the strategy that liberated his country from racism.
Viktor Frankl, while imprisoned in the worst imaginable environment, the Nazi concentration camps, wrote the book “Man's Search for Meaning,” which, after his liberation, transformed the lives of millions.
So, don't tell me you're desperate in lockdown! Own your greatness and stop whining.
Dedicate this gift of time to building, at full speed, the future you'll enjoy living in.
Everything, everything, everything depends on you defining the transcendent purpose of your life. Why you are here and how you can make a positive difference in the world.
This is the secret. This is the formula for finding freedom in confinement.
So, today, here, and now, is the time to start.