ARE WE TRULY FREE??
Freedom: ..The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
His professor, Professor Hunt, of the English 101 class, had issued a homework assignment to be based on what the word Freedom meant to each of the students. They were allowed to research anything they wanted in regards to freedom and must write a 2000 word essay on what they felt freedom meant to them personally and present it to the class. He was big on public speaking, which many of the introverts absolutely hated. But he believed it to be effective in personal growth. To break free from the shell we all hide in. So they were forced to suck it up and present their assignment in front of the class of 47.
“Ok so granted that isn’t the direct definition of freedom. Just the definition I found most fitting for the headline to the story I’m about to present you with.” Zeke said out loud to his fellow classmates of Liberty Junior College.
Zeke was normally a think outside of the box kind of guy. A “go against the grain” type. So his overthinking automatically assumed all of the other students were going to rant on about the freedom we have as Americans. It would be the same story, just told in 46 different styles. He wanted to be different. To get deep and personal with what freedom really meant to him. After the experiences he had had in life, freedom had a whole different meaning. Hence why he chose the definition he used as the headline when he began his presentation.
“I used that definition because its not what you would normally think of when you think of freedom. But I bet it got your attention didn’t it?” He looked around as he heard some of the classmates chuckle. As he looked around the room, he could feel every eye on him. No one was distracted by their cell phones or laptops. All eyes were on him. He had already won them over, and he had only just begun.
“To us…civilians, our definition of freedom can be completely different than the inmate whos been behind bars for 20 years. Different life experiences bring different views on things for us. Granted my presentation is not about an inmate who’s been locked up most of his life. No. My presentation is about every single one of us in this room today. We may not be in a physical prison, but we are all prisoners of our own minds.”
“We all have issues we face with every day. Whether it be anxiety, depression, worry, jealousy, any of the above, and many not listed. There are things we are chained down to mentally that we just can’t escape from. So unlike the prisoner who’s been locked up for 20 years… we have all been locked up and tied down our whole life. Held captive by the things we have no control over. Everything can be going fantastic until the depression, aka, the prison guard comes knocking and mentally locks us up in solitary confinement. We become isolated. We can’t speak to others, we shut down and stay in our cell. Sometimes we don’t eat, sometimes we don’t even get “rec” time. We just stay in the dark.”
He could see everyone inching forward to be able to hear him better. He was no mental health counselor or psychologist. But having book knowledge about mental health issues aint shit compared to personal experience.
“Freedom to me, is not about living in a free country. Freedom to me is nothing but fantasy. A dream that will never come true. When you struggle every day to wake up, to take on the world, to even meet people, because your trapped inside your own mental prison with no way out, freedom is nothing but false hope. To me, to truly be free….is to live free of those things. To truly be happy every minute of every single day. To enjoy life to the fullest and never have to worry about being let down or having your heartbroken. Everyone always wishes for world peace but can’t find a way to make that happen. I say, find a 100 percent effective cure for depression, anxiety, ptsd, and many others, and the peace will bring itself to the world. The stars will align. Then, and only then, will we truly know what its like to experience true freedom.”
His self cockiness and feeling like he actually just impacted every single one of his fellow classmates, he dropped the mic. Case closed. ‘Beat that’ he said to himself as he watched everyone rise to their feet and give him a standing ovation. Even the professor was on his feet clapping, with tears in his eyes. Maybe now, people would actually understand why he is the quiet kid in the classroom. And maybe, just maybe, he was able to help others break out of their shells. Maybe that finally meant his one wish would finally come true. Maybe, he’d finally be able to make a friend…