We can break free

So I departed and was free from imprisonment. William Adams

When Baraka was brought home, he was small and sweet, and I knew he would be the blessing my family and I needed.

Starved he was, and the first day we offered him food he begged for more. Today, the white dog is a giant. My docile Baraka has since become a monster; sometimes, I imagine that in a fit of anger he would tear an intruder apart.

But is that not why we got him in the first place, to keep unwanted visitors away? That aside, I do not like him much anymore. Barely a year later, the Labrador destroys everything on his path, and I have been forced to lock him up at all times, and wish there was a way I could explain to him why his freedom has been cut short.

I know it seems unfair, and animal lovers would term me cruel, but the damages are far too many. I have stopped wearing some pairs of shoes just because Baraka ripped them.

But what I hate most about him is the fact that he is out to destroy my little garden, a patch that has not been easy to put together. When freed from his kennel, the rowdy dog uproots anything green it sees and digs holes all over.

My youngest son has since branded him wild, even though he will from time to time be heard pitifully crying to be let out.

Enough about Baraka, who has made me think about imprisonment, and the many ways man curtails his cherished freedom just like my dog, without really knowing as he journeys through life.

Here are some:

Disease — though sometimes inherited, can often be avoided. Disease can imprison you, making a slave to painful and uncomfortable effects it has over you and making you a victim of pain. It is difficult to enjoy life when you are unwell.

Fashion — Though dressing up should be fun, many have become victims of fashion, spending time and money on clothes, shoes and jewelry they will not use. Like someone once said, fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment. It should set us free to express who we truly are.

Anger — There are so many reasons to be angry today, and we can blame the increasingly unreliable weather, the traffic and the rising inflation for our anger. But the fact is that the consuming emotions deny us of the freedom to be happy. It imprisons us, bringing out the worst in us and destroying the very cores of our beings.

Anxiety about tomorrow has been said to rob today of its joy. This disabling emotion will only imprison you with worry and you cannot live your life with joy when it matters most. Indeed, it will only rob you of your freedom to be happy.

PS: We will soon take Baraka to the village, where he can run round as much as he wants, and his discomfiture — and mine will end.