Prisen Break.

Imagine that there is big prison. You were born in that prison. You know a few inmates from your day one. Those who have taken care of you since. You have attended the same prison inmate training attended by all of your age. And all the while you wanted to get transferred to another prison about which people talk about. The prison on the other end of a huge ocean. Some have been there and tell that you get a nice pillow and fresher bread (just one day old compared to the two day old bread you get here), they also said that but you have to struggle. Nevertheless, nicer pillow and better bread (Nevertheless its still a prison, but you wouldn't think about it now). Of course, you wouldn't take offence when someone says you live in a prison. Because, that is the only world you have ever lived in. In fact, almost all the people you know have always lived in a prison. You wouldn't disown a prison, would you?

So, coming back to the new prison with nicer pillows and fresher bread. You have moved there, leaving back your inmate friends in the old prison. You did say that you'll be back after sometime. And promising some pillows and bread on your way back. You go there and undergo a different training this time. Sowing seeds instead of tilling land. Wow, life is very exciting, isn't it? You work hard and complete the training on sowing seeds. You are put in the assembly line. You start sowing seeds, and doing it really well now. They also give you a coffee mug too. Used one, but still its awesome. Now, you can drink coffee in your own mug instead of using other inmates' or a common one. Life is getting better. You start making friends there, who also have come from other prisons. They too worked hard to attend various training programs like cutting wood, rearing cattle and doing really well after the training programs. They also started getting their own coffee mugs. Nice right. Life is awesome. You can talk to your friends in old prison once in a while. Enjoy the coffee in your own mug. And yeah, eat fresher bread and sleep in nicer pillows, but you don't really care much about it now.

Slowly, it starts. The feeling of boredom. The idea of routinely doing your chores and giving no chance for spontaneity. The loss of freedom to do whatever you want. Of course, at the end of the day, it is still not your prison. You start thinking, what am I doing in this prison.You remember those promises made. Wasn't this just a pit stop? You belong to the other prison in which you started your life. Agreed, that you wanted nicer pillows and fresher bread. But now that you have experienced them. Isn't it time to keep up your promises. Yes, you decide to move back. You feel good. It did put a smile on your face. You start wrapping up things here. You give your coffee mug to another inmate. You feel a little sad. But hey! you are going back to your prison. What more can you ask for? You get to sow seeds now in your prison. You get to spend time with your old friends. Life is going to be more meaningful.

Finally, you move back. You think that it was the best decision ever. A life changing one. You feel complete now. Contended. You think you have achieved your freedom. You plan to spend rest of your life there. Life is perfect, isn't it?

Are we missing any point here? Let me repeat....'Contended. You THINK you have achieved your freedom'. You are still THINKING. But the fact is, you live in a prison. With different inmates. Known ones, a different coffee mug. Cheaper one, a new kind of pillows and bread! But the point is you still live in a prison. And not only you fail to accept it, you don't even acknowledge it. Learning from past mistakes is like driving a car. Its just now enough to look at rear and side mirrors. You need to look back over your shoulder to see things in your blind-spot. It is very important to do that. So, where did things go wrong?

Most of the prison inmates think alike. They think living, working, earning and dying in the prison is life. You can't blame them because that is what they are told life is. In fact, their older friends have done the same thing. May be they stayed in the same prison through out. But still living the clockwork life in prison is their ultimate goal. You are rewarded if you lie around the mean of a gaussian distribution. But that is not what human beings are made for. Its history has never been shaped by the people around the mean. Now, lets talk about the small group who think different. They are constantly ridiculed for being non-conformists, mostly by the mean people. Most of the outliers succumb. And slowly tend to being a mean person. But, there is a fewer set of people who don't. It is them who give bell curve its shape. There are very few of them. But, they define the curve. It is them who shape the human race. If someone has to draw the bell curve, they are the ones who are most likely to be picked. They are the statistically significant set. Of course, mean people matter too. But, there is a good chance your raised hand is lost in a million other. So, it wouldn't matter, if you have plowed the land, sown the seeds or reared cattle before. It simply wouldn't matter. The only way you can improve your chances of getting picked is being different. Breaking the mental prison you've been living. Do something that you have never done before. Because, that is how you are in this position now. If, as a child you always did the same thing everyday. You would most likely land up as the dumbest kid in the town. So, come out of the routines. Routines kill you, literally. It makes your inflexible. Your brain is like dough. If you don't add water and reshape it frequently, it'll soon become stiff and useless. Start doing things differently. Move aside in the rat race. Let rats do their thing. And you do a pRise-N-Break (p silent).