THINK BEYOND THE BOX

Even a palace can be a prison.

Do you have any idea what it means to be in a box? You know that feeling when you are caged in an apparently-looking comfort zone? You have everything you need, you are everything you dream, you do whatever you wish, yet you are so imprisoned you can’t decide if what you are feeling is the real deal. Or even when things go awry, you thank God, at least for the life. I tell you, even a palace can be a prison.

From time immemorial, primordial thoughts have dominated humans and controlled our decisions and actions. You and I are so much smeared in the process that we consciously forget the rules. We live the rules. We breathe it and exhale it in daily bases. You and I make every of our decisions instantaneously. We don’t have to think far before we feel fair in the process of our daily lives. It is no surprise we have become living legends of ourselves. As we say, we are part of the system.

No reasonable human dare challenge the tripods on which he has formed the strength of his success. We only challenge ideas, philosophies and policies that seem not to be favorably disposed to our rationale. When things don’t work out, we walk away. When we feel fear, we feign faith. When our destinies become endangered, we violently violate whatever poses as a threat. It’s not unusual for you to see your next door neighbor bawl at his sixteen year old kid to study medicine. Your landlady is always talking about how her daughter will read law and be a lawyer. Your boss in the office is always “gospelling” you on the benefits of civil engineering. Politicians and the government are always bullying you into draconian policies and suffocating infrastructures. Little wonder you are confused. I get it. But I tell you, not until you become unreasonable and trip over that balanced tripod; you might live forever the life of another in the ignorance of what yours should have been. A lot of us will cry when shown the original manuscript of our life as written by the divine script-writer, God.

The box we live in is called a lot of things. To some, it's culture. To others, it’s simply their fears. Some, it is religion. Others still, they perpetually live in their success. They become so successful that no other option is worth a try. For them, it’s either a way or the highway. Lots of name is given to this larger than life cubicle.

Why then do you and I have to extricate and relieve ourselves of the burden of this prison? Why do I have to exorcise myself from the spirits that very well dictate the tune by monopolizing the pipe and its music? Why on earth do you need to peep outside Pandora’s Box and for once see the outside world as it truly is? After all, the contents of the box are out and we took its place. Literally, of course.

We need to because the world is not what we think or want it to be. Life is not the way we dream it. Where butterflies fly from crystal springs in lush meadows and beautiful valleys serene plateaus, adorning the skies. It is not a place where animal speaks and lilies sprout at the sprinkling of the fairy’s magic dust. No! Only in Alice’s Wonderland will you find such scenes. The world is far beyond the imaginations of our wishes. It is as it is, not as we would like it to be. Till we accept that scary fact, we will only meander through the maze of confusion; never making headway in providing adequately for its tomorrow.

The beauty of this all is that so much possibilities lie outside this mystery box. Fraternizing with our fantasies inside the prison of our thoughts, fears, dispositions, future and whatever you choose to call it is not an option. It is a must! You must think outside of it. Your future is dependent on your innate ability to carve out a thought pattern from the millions of ideas frolicking through your head. I would have you know that every man becomes what he thinks inadvertently. Either you think it or wish it; you are a victim of your thought.

So why not go out there and create something new. You have lived too long inside the palace. You think it a palace because it affords you the luxury to a sense of belonging, because you have this illusion of self-will, because you feel being part of something. The sad truth however, is that it is never enough to be part of something if you are expendable. Your palace does not constitute the world of discoveries. Think beyond the box. It is necessary. Important! Governments and economies have failed because they were not built on foundational principles and ideologies that sustain longevity. Illusions don’t hold sway forever.

There are only two kinds of people in the world; the what ifs and what if nots. On one hand, the what if are the adventurers; they are the ones who are always excited at the possibility of a new discoveries, prospect of a new insights, new failures, new mistakes, new successes. They are the ones that dare to dream and leap outside the box quadrangle. On the other hand, the what if nots never try something new. They are in constant fear of threading new paths and sailing new seas. They are always asking themselves “What if that is not the right way?” They do not doubt because they never try. You only doubt what you think about, don’t you? For them, the status quo is the only quo. Where do you belong? Choose your side wisely.

Remember, even palaces can be prisons. Do something differently today. One of two things will happen; either you fail but learn or you succeed and learn still.