Freedom

It appears that I was both half asleep and awake. For all intents and purposes, let's just call it a dream. There was a zoo and everything about it seemed normal. That is, if we consider the humane captivity of animals to be normal. Perhaps it's been normalized for good intents and purposes. After all, there's got to be more to a zoo than meets the eye. There's education, recreation, research, and don't forget preservation, just to name a few of what's really good and far-reaching about a zoo. Moreover, this is not about animal right, but about freedom. In my dream, the thought waves seemed to be moving in another direction. There was no animal cruelty at the zoo, but the animals did not appear to be "at home ". There were no preconceived ideas about letting animals decide what's best for them, but as I passed each group of animals, they seemed in one accord about one thing, and it wasn't food. It was as if I could read their minds, and they were all singing, "I want to go home in the wilds where I really belong". Every living creature, whether aware of it or not, has a sense of belonging; and there is contentment to be found when we find 'belonging'. Mel Gibson's last word in the movie Braveheart was "FREEDOM!" If Zoo animals could talk, I suspect each one, if given the option to be released to the wilds, would consent to depart with a word, "FREEDOM!" By the way, let's remember that this is an observation drawn from a dream and not an attempt at promoting any pro/con advocacy about animals. My waking thoughts lie more with the reality that I see too many humans who are born free but willfully surrender their freedom. It is done so subtly that captivity is achieved with little resistance. The frog in the water kettle slowly rising in temperature knows not his doom. There is little resistance because the benefits of captivity APPEAR to be far greater than the price of FREEDOM, the 'rat race', and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Yes, it was a dream about animals in a zoo wanting to be free. But what I am seeing in the free world is not a dream. It's not a dream that I can see a formula that best describes where the 'Free world' may be headed. FREEDOM minus SELF PRESERVATION, minus INDIVIDUAL INITIATIVE, equals CAPTIVITY. 03042019PoSoup F-SP-II=C