SLAVERY… Serfdom, Servitude, Involuntary Entrapment…Bondage to a master or household. Hard work, drudgery.
Does slavery still exist? Where do you see it in your surroundings? How is it present in your own life? Who holds you in bondage? When do you take a stand for FREEDOM? What would freedom mean for you?
For the concept of slavery to be considered a thing of the past, it would shock most people to know that it is rampant today. Not only is it rampant, it exists in the life of each and every individual, to a certain extent. Ironically, we are our own captors and keep ourselves trapped in circumstances, situations, habits and addictions that are not in the best interest of ourselves or those around us. But, we do it so unconsciously that we gloss it over with such words such as ‘need’, ‘responsibility’, and ‘job’. We even umbrella the condition under titles of ‘Mother’, ‘Father’, ‘CEO’, ‘Employee’, ‘Friend’, ‘Health’, ‘Illness’… The result of this is codependency and the re-creation of the pattern of slavery…a legacy we pass from generation to generation.
There are a variety of things that one can be enslaved to from food, wine, chocolate, and sleep to work, parental responsibilities, children’s needs, exercise, social obligation, money, time, cell phones, pagers, computers, television, depression, highs, loneliness, isolation… How does it happen?
Slavery occurs when we feel the weight of something upon us in such a manner that our departure will cause disruption and downfall to the structure we have become accustomed to. Furthermore, slavery is the emotional attachment we place upon these situations and people in creating self based importance in the lives of others. No one and no thing holds us in captivity…we hold ourselves hostage.
We place the chains around our own necks dragging the body in and out of situations that cause emotional discomfort and pain. We don shackles upon our ankles and wrists in the name of a position that we deem so important that ‘Balance’, ‘Well-being’, and ‘Health’ get placed off to the side. How often do you sacrifice your own needs and wants for the sake of other people and things? How does this behavior serve you? When is it enough? As you look back toward the person holding the key to unlock the bars, who do you see?
How many times in your life have you imagined it differently? Have you ever asked the ‘What if?’ question? If you could, in a perfect world, design what your life would look like, describe the picture of it. What is holding you back? As you reach behind, wrists shackled, and remove the head covering of your enslavor, are you surprised to see your own face beneath the mask? When is it time to allow yourself to be free…to be free to dream…to be free to live your greatest fantasy?
Only when you can realize that it is for each individual to live their own lives, make their own mistakes, mount their own triumphs, and discover their own truth will you be able to walk away from what you have attached yourself to. Let others live in their experiences and you live in yours. Let others have their dream, be it productive or destructive, while you create your own. Release yourself of the shackles that bind you. Say ‘YES’ to freedom! Say ‘YES’ to change! Know that the very next moment is the start of the rest of your life!
Figure out what would make you happy. What are the activities and pursuits that would allow your heart to soar? How do you want your life to be? What types of relationships do you desire? What kind of partner would you like to share with? If your life does not look like what you have just described, you have enslaved yourself to that which is most destructive to your spirit. You can change your life if you just change your mind!
Until the next…Fashion Emergency!!!
Warmest regards,
Simran Singh