Education
Born Free, Chained Everywhere!!
By Dr. Jarlath Uche Opara
Jarlathuche@gmail.com
Jean-Jacques Rousseau one of my favourite philosophers. His words very piecing, leaving one with no option than to think beyond the peripheral.
He lived many years ago but his works still speak truth poignantly to our reality. Years gone when his musings gave the world focus and direction. Years after the reality of human woes and pains still find expression and meaning in his deep inspirations.
Beyond the socio-economic and political chains that have crippled many, the spiritual chains that have lamed and dwarfed many very inconceivable. We seemed free, we think we walk free, boundless and limitless, but the reality of our lives speaks contrary to our thinking. There are chains everywhere. Chains that though allows one to move around freely but would restrain when one tries to explore beyond the limit permitted by the chains around them.
Having chains around ones legs and hands can find expression in two ways, 1)By limiting one completely, denying one of any form of movement or 2) By partial limitations, allowing for small, small movement but comes into full restriction when one tries to fully express ones possibilities.
Don’t be deceived into believing that there are no chains around your legs because you could move around. Try running with the speed of a sprinter, only then you would realize the restriction of such chains on you. Such chains are long enough to allow you to scrap up a living. Long enough to allow you achieve averagely, within a limited space, not too profound for global influence and recognition. It can allow you to walk into sustainable and subsistence living but draws you back when you try to run into a destiny of immeasurable impact and influence. Many have gone, thinking how successful they were and their generation applauding them for such impact, without realising how the unseen chains around their legs restricted them from reaching their full potential.
What you call success may after all be minute expression of your real self. What you jump and swag around for, may be a tip of the iceberg but for the chains long enough to allow for movement. Born free but everywhere in chains. Think about it and be conscious of its effects on human destines. Born free, but everywhere in chains.
It takes a man whose chains are too short to allow for a movement to know the the pains of being in chains. Can’t move, can’t crawl, can’t walk. Stationed at a place for years. Such people run from pillar to post looking for solutions, why? The pains of from the chains very excruciating, gory and grinding.
These are the people we see as being in chains, their situation very pitiable and agonising. However, many are in chains who may not know because theirs only limit them when they try to run into a more glorious destiny.
Nigerians are chained everywhere. Nothing seems free from the pains of the chains of economic hardship. Every Dick, Tom and Harry is locked around with rusty but strong chains of high cost of living. Chained by the impulsive and compulsive alluring engagement of the social media. Chained everywhere, by sights and sounds that leave ones sanity very compromised.
Born free but chained everywhere, the ordeal of humanity, only the freedom from Christ, sealed by the blood would give humanity that freedom that breaks every chains. Until this freedom is given through intimacy, incubation and Koinonia, ones freedom cannot be complet, free from either long or short chains.
Until ones eyes are opened to see the kind of chains around ones legs and hands, though allowing for movement, staggering dimension of success and progress, one may not realise, how those chains have limited one even though one feels successful and accomplished. You are gods and your power of possibilities unlimited. An overcomer in all dimensions, more than conquer with the capacity to move mountains. That is who you are. Anything short of this in expression, one is in chains and should shake them off by that power that raised Jesus from the dead