The Mind Makes Us Free Or Slaves
One of the greatest leaders of our time spent more than 25 years of his life in prison. Nonetheless, he was able to forgive and transcend the bars of the cell that locked him up. Words such as ” money will not create success, the freedom to do, will do” came out of his lips . His name is Nelson Mandela, a man well aware that the mind is what can make us free or enslaved.
Mandela is an example of free thinking. A figure capable of finding peace in himself while being locked up in a forced labor camp, deprived of his rights as a human being. Yet, with the strength of his mind, he managed to escape from his captive state.
“If you don’t have inner freedom, what other freedom do you hope to get?”
-Arturo Graf-
The fable of free or slave people
Mandela managed to find freedom inside his prison. Referring to the life of this great South African leader, I would like to tell you the tale of the free person and the slave, so that you can find out if you belong to one or the other category.
Imagine a medium-sized city where two different people live at opposite ends. One is extremely wealthy and opulent, while the other enjoys an average salary. To simplify, we will call them the rich man and the average man.
Every day, the rich man walks out of the garage of his large mansion in his flashy and expensive car. The man is very satisfied with his car, but has discovered that an even more beautiful and expensive new model has just come out, and he can’t wait to change it, so that he can show it off.
For his part, the average man goes to work out of his garage, rented along with his small apartment. He owns a medium-sized car, not very expensive, but to which he is fond of; his car accompanied him in some of the most important phases of his life, with the people he loves, and the memories related to her are many.
The rich man and the average man at work
The rich man comes to work with his head held high, chest out and making every single employee of his company look away: he is very angry. He is convinced that he is the only person who is worthwhile, that everyone else is good-for-nothing slackers. Even today he will spend the whole day in the office, because without working he feels bad.
The average man does a job that allows him to earn an average salary. He is aware that unless he gets lucky, he will never get rich; but that doesn’t matter to him, because he likes what he does. He enjoys his work, greets his colleagues, knows that they will eat together and that during the break they will laugh and chat about everything and more.
The rich man knows he will have to work all day because he needs the money. He wants a new car, he wants to expand the swimming pool, he has to buy a new yacht and he is thinking of taking a trip to the other side of the world.
The average man will work his hours in his workplace, without stress or rush. He is happy to know that he will be out of work soon because his wife and son are waiting for him: they will go for a walk in the park and feed the birds while the little one plays.
The private life of the rich man and the average man
During the day, the rich man only thinks about making more money. He wants it all. A nicer car, the most expensive trip in first class or in your own private plane, the most spectacular swimming pool, the best clothes… Just think about buying to be envied by the whole city.
The average man spends his days enjoying his free time together with his family and friends. He walks through the park, takes a little trip from time to time, goes out to dinner at a restaurant, goes to the cinema and the theater, reads and lives life with the people he loves.
The rich man likes to appear. He has the money and he wants everyone to know. He longs to show how rich, big and powerful he is. He has been successful in life and is dying to show the world that he is an example to follow, a winner.
The average man is able to smile, be surprised and cry. You can define him happy: he has what he needs. The love of his family, a job that satisfies him and that allows him to live without stress doing what he likes, also leaving him free time to devote to the people he loves.
Free or enslaved people
To conclude, I’d like to ask you a question. Who do you think is the freest person? The rich man who has everything but always wants more? Or maybe the average man who has what he needs and enjoys it day by day?
“It is easier to overthrow the commander at the head of an army than to rob a wretch of his freedom”
-Confucius-
In reality, being a free person or a slave does not depend on the amount of money or possessions we have, on the country we live in or on our personal situation. A poor man can be much happier than one who has everything. It all depends on the mind. The more you desire, the greater your bondage will be. It is up to you to decide which example of the fable to follow.
