The walk to freedom is a long one.
However, does the one who is free still work to be free?
Can the one bounded with no chains still be held captive?
How can the one who is unrestricted live like one who is not?
The mind is the first place to conquer, to win the battle.
Yet, in the dark of the cell where the determination of one’s fate is in his own hands,
How can this battle be won if the one who has been confined, has also been broken?
That when the choice is to be made. He chooses isolation. The worst kind.
How can it be won when in the face of consciousness, he cannot recognize himself?
How can one conquer his own mind when he hasn’t learned to think for himself?
When he doesn’t even know the power, he possesses.
The absurdity of one betraying his brother.
And so, we get to the point where the nightmares turn into realities.
When we discover that the traitor is indeed inhouse.
That these burdens that we carry were mounted by our very own.
In the end, all I must know is…
How can we truly be free when trust is gone?
How can we truly be free when the ones who imprison us are ourselves?
How can we truly be free when the melanin that we were blessed with to thrive became the very thing that caused us shame?
How can we truly be free when we cannot see the good in ourselves, when we would rather develop another than see ours come alive?
After all, we were meant for darkness, we were meant for nothingness. Right? I cannot make sense of it. How can we truly be free when we would prefer slavery instead?
“But one of the worst results of being a slave and being forced to do things is that when there is no one to force you anymore you find you have almost lost the power of forcing yourself.”
– C.S. Lewis
