A Parable From Break Through Your BS

Once upon a time in an ancient village, a young man dreams of adventure, but he has a great fear…

If he ventures outside his homeland, he knows there are those out there who would wish to enslave him.

Torn between his desire to explore the world freely and the fear that this will lead to his enslavement, he seeks out the village elder, a wise master, for advice.

The wise old master listens empathetically to the boy’s plea.

“Wise Master, I wish to have freedom, but I know there are those in the world outside my homeland who would shackle me up and take away my choice to live as I please once they see me. Can you help me?”

The wise master questions the young man, “Do you realize if you wish to venture outside of your homeland, you cannot avoid those who would try to enslave you?”

The young man replies, “Yes, master! I know those people cannot be avoided. But yet I also feel enslaved if I’m stuck in my homeland and never get to see the world. Is there any way I can explore the world without fear of being taken as a slave?”

The master strokes his long beard and replies, “Yes… there is but one way. I can share with you the secret to living free if you wish.”

The young man eagerly takes the old wise master up on the offer. “Show me the secret, please, Master!”

The master takes the young man to a cabin.

The wise master grabs the young man’s hands and proceeds to shackle them to the wall with heavy handcuffs.

The young man is shocked.

The young man protests, “What the eff!!   This is total bullshit, dude! I wanted you to show me how to be free from enslavement, and you just shackled me to a wall!”

The wise master looks at the young man and says, “You wanted the secret to being free from enslavement. If you want to travel free, I’m giving you exactly what you desire.”

Pause the story here for a moment…

How do you feel about what’s happening?

Is the young man right in saying what the master did is bullshit?

Is the master some sadistic asshole who gets off on tormenting the young man?

Or could it perhaps be the young man’s limited perspective that makes him accuse the master of bullshit, when it’s really the young man who doesn’t see the bigger picture?

Grab your popcorn, and let’s see if the next part changes your mind about anything…

Resume scene.

The young man cries out for answers. “How is enslaving me keeping me from enslavement? This makes no sense!”

The wise master replies, “You are enslaved, but only for a time. As you learn knowledge, you will be able to pick these locks. As you gain strength fighting against the shackles, eventually, you will be able to break free from these chains.”

The young man begins to come around after realizing the old man doesn’t wish to keep him enslaved permanently. Still he wonders, “But why do I need to know how to pick locks and break chains?”

The old master smiles. “Because young man, while you may not be able to avoid those who would shackle you, when you have the ability to break free from any shackle, no man can ever truly enslave you. Knowing this, you will be able to live free from both the enslavement of man’s shackles as well as the shackles of your own fear.”

The young man got the lesson. He graciously accepted his position of temporary enslavement knowing that with time and effort, these shackles would serve him to give him the knowledge and strength to break free from any other shackles that may be placed upon him.

Years later, with the master’s help and training, he learned to break free. For all the remaining years of his life, he traveled as a free man, neither remaining bound to those who shackled him nor fearing those who would try.

This is a story from my new book Break Through Your BS available now on Amazon.