The Iron Gate

The iron gate swings open and another person is free to go.

Each like instance is different, but for the most part the happiness and rejoicing which we would assume to be a part of these occasions, seems very subdued or missing completely.

As oppressive as the living conditions may be in prison, they soon become the known. The new friends, food, bed and ambience experienced there is all the person has. He learns them. They all become his, or hers.

When that iron gate swings open and he steps outside, all of his new knowledge will instantly be irrelevant. He will immediately start losing that knowledge – that was him!

For anyone, that loss is a bitter pill to swallow.

We all have been in a ‘prison’ our whole lives, called ‘life’. We have all learned our own rendition of ‘living conditions’. And if some form of freedom or emancipation is offered, we become identical to that person depicted in the above photo.

No matter the grandeur or majesty of what is available as an upgrade, everyone must wrestle with the fear of losing what he or she already has and what they already know.

If enough time has gone by living in and learning of our ‘living conditions’, they literally are us. This reminds us of the issue of self-preservation which hinders us from self-destruction.

For many, when that iron gate even has the possibility of opening and showing new possibilities and vistas, thoughts of losing become paramount. The problems in a person’s life may be horrible, but they are accepted and lived with, because of only one reason . . . fear of the unknown.