To Be Free is to be bound

I did this peace for a magazine writing competition.

“Freedom!”, “Freedom!”,” Freedom!” Many have made varying efforts to define the word and I am but one of thousands of

screaming voices trying to make sense of this idea, principle and phenomenon that has managed to elude man for eons since his origins, centuries of men navigating murky grounds groping for the endless thread that will lead to their enlightenment while simultaneously wondering to what end they do this as others have simply given up on this quest due to the shape shifting nature of the prey they long to hunt down for at one point men felt they had finally got the gist of the idea only to be disapproved by another generations and another generation does the same to the former what they did to the latter. But shall we leave it as it is because the moment you start to speak you realise your

definition is already regulated by a lot of underlying principles: decades of phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, and literature and you quickly despair wondering if you saying what you want to say or you are saying what you are supposed to say given your background, geography, upbringing, race, political inclination, level of intelligence, religion, education and a plethora of reasons you might not even be aware of and from that you see why many efforts have been rendered futile. But give up your voice and brace yourself to be caught up in a massacre for people

who felt to have understood what freedom is have gone to the extreme to make the world free or purge out the unworthy and the climax if not always has been bloodshed. Join the revolution! Come and worship my gods! Be on the right side of history! You will be liberated even if it is against your own will for what does an ignorant man like you even know about freedom if you can’t see the light and putting you out of your misery is but an act of kindness. In another time the beginning of my day was announced by a rooster followed by

several reminders from mother saying it was already dawn. Eating was done in haste as there was much playing to be done, new friends to make and new places to discover. The more the sunset drew nearer the more playing became sweeter and we only stopped when one of boys was yanked from group and threatened to not play again if such behaviour continued. Back then freedom was just the dream of playing till we couldn’t play no more and lying in my little bed I thought that was all the freedom I would ever need.

Teenage years came unannounced and with it came strange feelings foreign even to

self. All of a sudden, the opinion of pears became golden and dictated how you dressed, cut your hair and who you found yourself with. The idea of being seen barefooted and dusty became horrific, definition of beauty became a new hobby and the boy with the girl was the leader of the pack. Unknowingly freedom shifted from just enough time to play to having the choice to wear whatever pleased the eyes and the ability to choose any haircut you felt was cool at the moment because the world seemed to be okay with adults to always trod on the desires of teenagers because they knew better and at some point like the prodigal son home was the barrier that separated us from our life and we were such in a hurry to grow up.We then said goodbye to our homes unknowingly and before we knew it we were in a

wilderness were we were our own leaders, missing home and relishing memories made us but oblivious for the landscape was changing at every blink of the eye. The time was there, we were free to play all day and all night, no one pestered us and we could dress as we wished and ignore everyone who was not happy about it. But to what end will such freedom lead us and what shall be our harvest when spring comes? Upon reflection it is clear that the limits to our freedom are what brought us to where

we are and if we open our eyes we can see where freedom has taken some of the people that were before us. What has become of that child we played with and was allowed to play day and night

because he was free? What has he to tell us? What has become of friends who who did every hairstyle and clothed themselves with whatever was within their grasp? What has become of teenagers who were free to go wherever they wanted and return home at whatever hour they wished? Boys and girls who went all out to explore what they could offer each other and do what their flood of hormones dictated, what has become of them? The ones who couldn’t go until they made sure all the bottles were emptied, what has become of them? What has become of a father who suddenly realised he was free to do as he pleased? Families will tell you. What became of a leader who become so powerful to freely carry out his will? Nations will tell. What will become of you if you become free to eat everything you think of ? The hospital has the answer. On the flip side What has become of a devoted religious man who has bound himself to the ethics of

his religion? What has become of men and women who has bound themselves to centuries of wisdom built by former generations? What has become of the person who has bound his usage of time to the goals he wants to achieve? What has become of lovers who have bound their feelings to principles and beings higher than themselves? And what makes doctors, monks, priests, teachers, craftsmen, tradesmen and women,

shepherds, worriers and scribes? Is it not adhering to the dictates of their various vocations? Now even though they are bound, like a chess master they are free to make any legal move or change the game altogether if they feel like, though life is short to try out all things they could be and become. Finding the balance between how much freedom becomes chaos and what lack

thereof constitutes of tyranny is an eternal duologue which shall forever plague minds of mortals as the answer is in the boundary that separate the which is nothing but clear and ever shifting.

@Chungamu

The piece was not picked but I hope you enjoyed it

Thanks to Naira and Musonda for brainstorming ideas.