"The Freedom Thief"-Concluding Part

As i was walking towards my destination (though i wasn't sure whether i'd reach there or not!!) , again some erratic images started coming to my mind randomly; those images which until a few hours before comprised the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which i was forced to put together in order to survive; those images of conformity towards the dogmas that surronded me forming a vicious circle; those images which tried to extirpate the very meaning of freedom from my mind. And these images operated on a terror mechanism, the mechanism of fear. All i used to do at that point of time and all what others did operated on the same mechanism, a silent fear lurking behind each a nd every one of us; the fear that made each and every one of us perfect citizens, perfect devotees, perfect administrators and everythng that was perfect.

I went to a place of worship because of the fear of hell. I condoned the errors of the state because of the fear of jail. I did not fall in love with a girl of another religion because of the fear of being thrown out as an outsider. I beahved in those umpteen no of ways in which people were supposed to behave because i feared the consequences that might otherwise storm upon me. And my slavery came exactly from this and my nonchalant,unreflective days. The fear of not doing what others wanted me to do....

I was trying to define freedom.Was it the freedom of land??or the freedom to think?is it the freedom to do what u want or live the way u want to live?is it the freedom from desires and ambitions?? And then i saw the sky brightened by the light of those luminous free souls who walked before me to the freedom tree and they silently whispered-"freedom is to be free from fear;freedom is to conquer fear; freedom is to kill fear"..laconic but yet so profound. And before my eyes were the beautiful frames of deep happiness and contend of my forefathers when they discovered limitless freedom that was beyond any demarcations.

I saw the deep pain which Eve endured before giving birth to Cain and the unexplainable happiness when she for the first time saw his tightly clasped fingers; I saw the great agony and unparallelled faith of Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his only son and I also saw the profound gratitude and joy when he found a substitute lamb in the shrubs; I saw the fear in the eyes of Moses when he was asked to command and guide the men of Yahweh to the promised land and I also saw his glowing face when he saw Israel from mount Aabu; I saw Daniel conquering his fear and entering into the fire with a smile so innocent; I saw Jonah defeating his fear inside the stomach of the blue whale and I also saw him rising up with a new zest and new vision. And I saw the warrior Arjuna afraid and apprehensive before the great war and Krishna talking to him; and I also saw the smile on Krishna's face when he asked the more confused Arjuna to renounce everything and reach unto him. I saw Freedom..

I had reached the freedom tree..Without a second thought I climbed the tree briskly and stretched my hand towards a ripe freedom fruit. This time I saw the sadness in the eyes of Adam when he was banished from the paradise for ever and I also saw the blessed paradise he entered when he for the first time saw the rains, when he for the first time tilled, sowed and harvested, when he for the first time kissed his wife and felt her warmth beside him. I saw the eternal paradise...Life...

Without hesitation I plucked the freedom fruit and started to eat and somewhere near the horizon I heard people violently yelling out.."Freedom Thief..."