February 27, 2016
Two Imaginary Cages
A grim parable for modern workers
Two cages hang suspended in space, each containing a prisoner pondering the purpose of life.
In the first cage is a bird.
The bird desperately tries to break the lock on her door. After years of pecking, a lifetime of beak-breaking effort, the lock finally falls. The door swings open and freedom is hers.
The bird steps into the void, spreads its wings, and feels the air in her feathers. Panic strikes as she realizes she has forgotten how to fly. The years of battling her cage has robbed her of the ability to thrive outside her cell.
The bird falls to her death.
The second cage contains a mouse.
The mouse’s cage is unlocked. The door is wide open and every day he walks to the edge and looks over the side. Unable to judge the distance below, he can’t calculate the risks and rewards of taking a leap.
Time passes and with each year courage perpetually eludes him. The older he gets the less interested he is in the wonders that may exist outside his cell. Finally, age overtakes him.
The mouse dies on the floor of his cage.
Parables that end with wordy sermons tend to lose their impact so I will conclude this post with some basic questions.
What cage do you fight against? Does this war cripple your ability to take flight?
Or is your cage unlocked? Are you choosing safety over embracing the unknown?
Thanks for reading. I usually end my posts by asking for your recommendations and follows. That gets annoying, so just stay creative.