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I recently visited a zoo and spent a few hours looking at birds in
cages. There were cages of all sizes. The birds appeared to be healthy
and well-fed, but somehow what I saw didn't seem even remotely right. I
felt like I was looking at a maximum security bird prison in which all
inmates were serving a life sentence without hope of parole.
I think that birds need more than food, water, and limited space. They
need freedom to soar on the updrafts and to allow their instincts to
show them the way. I can't believe that Jailbirds are happy birds; they
just were not designed to live in cages. If I don't like living in a
cage, I can't imagine why a bird would like it either.
I also wasn't designed to live in a cage. That's one reason I enjoy
watching birds in free flight. They demonstrate unfettered freedom
that inspires me to spread my wings and fly. The problem is that I
spend too much time building golden cages when I should be out soaring
in total freedom.
Birds have an excuse. They didn't choose their golden cages. They were
captured, trained, and tamed to tolerate their jailbird existence.
I, on the other hand, don't have an excuse.
When I was born into this
world, I was given the freedom of choice. If I end up living in a cage,
it's because I decided to live there, and I have no one to blame but
myself.
Since I returned to "uncivilization", I met hundreds of people living in
golden cages. How do I know that? It's simple. They are doing work
that they hate so they can pay for a lifestyle that is driving them
crazy. Their cages come in all different shapes and sizes. They are
running on treadmills in Nowhere Land, and most important of all, they
are not living their dreams.
Take a look at the eagle at the top of this page. Imagine what his life
would be like if you put him in a cage. Would he be happy?
Living in golden cages is not for the birds, and it's not for me. I've
learned my lesson. Good-bye golden cage, hello freedom. No more golden
cages for me.
HOW GOOD CAN IT GET?
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On rare occasions, I turn on my television and watch the evening news.
I'm firmly convinced that the news isn't really news at all. It's
biased reporting that focuses on crimes perpetrated by misfits and
dysfunctional individuals with a few natural disasters thrown in for
good measure. When the doom and gloom and negative entertainment is
over, it's clear that the world is in a terrible mess that's getting
worse each day. After listening to their destructive message, its easy
to conclude that there is no limit to how bad things can become.
I don't believe the apostles of doom and gloom. I traveled twice around
the world, once by air and once in my own yacht, and what I have seen
convinces me that life is good, and that there is no limit to how good
my life can become. Everywhere I go, the majority of the people I meet
are both good and kind, and they wish me well. If I'm in trouble, they
will move heaven and earth to lend a hand. Millions of anonymous unsung
heroes never make the evening news. They comprise the mass of humanity,
and they are the ones who keep civilization on an even keel.
It's hard to be a positive person when your mental focus is negative.
So turn off your TV set, and start focusing on your dreams. If you do
that, it won't be long before you feel strangely positive, and you will
come to believe that there is no limit to how good your life can become.
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