Freedom beyond inside?
If Freedom was a state of the MIND where is the mind?
In the town of Puebla, a big city with the most numbers of universities and celestial churches in Mexico surrounded by towering mountains, amazing architectural designs and the famous active volcano called POPOCATEPETL there lived an artisan named Abike. An African woman from Kenya. Mexico became her second home since she lost her husband and two boys in an accident.
The locals often spoke of Abike in hushed tones often mixed with racism and causing guilt for while everyone else toiled under the weight of their daily routines, Abike moved with a grace and peace that seemed undisturbed teaching beads making while Preparing and selling artisans everyday. Sometimes with profit other times Zeros! Yet her eyes held a quiet depth, her laughter was soft yet resonant, and her spirit rare.
It wasn't that Abike didn't face the same hardships as the others - she worked, ate, and slept like anyone else - but she seemed untouched by the burdens that weighed them down. Hmmm... The locals couldn't understand her, nor did they try, for Abike's way of being was beyond what they knew.
One day, a young boy from the Urban side, curious about Abike's mysterious tranquility, approached her. "Abike," he asked, "why is it that you are always so calm, even when things go wrong? Even how your people turn their back against you. It's as if you are hardened or FREE and don't care. How can you be so cold and not feel the critics or discrimination?"
Abike smiled, her eyes twinkling. She looked down at the boy and said, "What you call freedom is not something that can be touched or seen. It's a space within your mind, body & soul" . Most people live in chains they can't see. Their thoughts are trapped by fear, their bodies by routines and their spirits by expectations. They are like the FBI's with sirens in search of guilt and persecution even where there isn't any"
The boy furrowed his brow, not fully grasping what Abike meant. "But how can you feel free with such madness in the world?" he asked.
Abike left the wooden Congolese map she was crafting for her Tozo friend from Cameroun... Humm she sighed, stood up and gestured for the boy to follow her to a quiet corner at the top of the hut. The air was chill as the Volcano scattered it's ashes lightly across the city," good thing these ashes aren't that dangerous" She said. "Que" !! The boy exclaimed in Spanish. They sting in my eyes! He explained further... "True... Let's hope it rains soon so the dust can all settle" Abike replied while the sky above stretched endlessly like a Grey blue sea that seemed to touch infinity. Abike took a deep breath and spoke softly.
"You see ?Freedom is a present destination my dear... It's the deep meaning of the question " HOW ARE YOU?" People often say fine when they truly aren't? this is where the journey starts in your mind, most people are held captive by their own thoughts. They believe they must do this, they must do that, and their thoughts control them like a puppet master. But when you realize that your mind is a tool - not your master - you're no longer bound by those invisible chains. This is where the doctrines say "THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE" You choose what gives you peace, what to think, what to let go off or accept and what to nurture." They climbed upstairs?
The boy paused by the wall side and stared at a writing on an afro man's portrait. A gloomy glass mosaic picture all yellow with his Elvis beard and afro. It reads as follows;
"Hair, like plants, is an extension of human vitality, where wisdom finds its roots, absorbing atoms of energy, nutrients and light that nourish the brain - the central unit of the body. Love it. Nurture & Embrace it."
By: RosaLu
He shrugged and wondered what the author meant while he listened intently as Abike continued.
"Then comes the body. Most are bound by routines, habits, and the need for approval. But freedom of the body doesn't come from doing whatever you want; it comes from aligning your actions with your true self without guilt or hurt. When you understand this, you move through life with purpose, not pressure. You're no longer a slave to what the world demands of you."
Abike's gaze shifted toward the horizon, and her deep voice softened even further. "The last part is the soul, the profound part of our being. Most people don't even know they have a soul, let alone how to free it. Some think it's their minds and other think it's like a cloudish silhouette . They're lost in the noise of life, never hearing its quiet whisper. But when you listen, truly listen, you realize that your soul is boundless. It is ageless... It's connected to everything and nothing at once. It doesn't seek validation, approval, or even happiness. It just is."
The boy sat in silence, absorbing Abike's words. "But if you're that free, doesn't that make you lonely?? And how come you know all this weird things?"
Abike chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Freedom doesn't make you lonely, it makes you whole. Some are dogmatized. When you are free, you don't need anything or anyone to complete you. And that's when you can truly Love, compliment, connect and grow with others - because you're not looking to take from them, but to share with them. And give unconditionally. Most people live as fragments, always searching for something to fill the void. But when you're free, you realize you were whole all along."
The boy's eyes widened as a light began to dawn within him. "So, freedom isn't about what you have or what you do - it's about who you are?"
Abike nodded, her face serene. "And how you are" the boy added. "Exactly. True freedom isn't about escaping the world; it's about transcending it. Navigating like the wind... It's about finding peace in the chaos, stillness in the noise, and wholeness in the fragments. This is a boundless space and can be found in all aspects of our personal, social, family or business life.
When you achieve that, nothing can hold you down. Your mind, body, and soul become one, and you move through life untethered. That is the power of freedom."
The boy sat quietly beside Abike, the weight from his grumpy neighbor, daunting classmates, family... And of the crazy world lifting just a little from his tender shoulders. He had seen a glimpse of what lay beyond the visible chains - freedom, not as a destination, but as a state of being.
And in that moment, though the city bustled below, the mountains still towered above, ashes everywhere and the world remained unchanged, the boy felt something stir deep within him.
The taste of freedom... Thoughts of his next 10th birthday crossed his mind. He picked up a pebble from the ground just when his parents who were downstairs at the African Cabin called out his name... ANDANIEL!! He gasped as he rushed downstairs towards them ? screaming out loud in Spanish "Mande!" ... He waved goodbye to Abike and grinned as he knew he had been off site from his parents without permission. Oh boy! He thought ? Just be calm and Be (YOU) he breathed and said to himself as he hurried down. His parents were calm and already heading to the parking lot.
Your Own Universe? You, He thought!
The end.
Scrubs was written in its best simplicity set to hopeful revive you by keeping your body, mind and soul refreshed.
Here is a Special message from Professor & author Ezinne: Are you navigating hard in your studies, social circle, family, relationship or Yourself? Contact me today and regain your right to personal and interpersonal FREEDOM!