Start with a Question

James Joyce writes, “When the soul of a man is born, there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight.  You talk to me of nationality, language, religion.  I shall try to fly by those nets.”  Those nets hold us back, but sadly often we freely entangle ourselves in their snare.  As the writer and traveler Ken Ilgunas reminds us, “We need so little to be happy.  Happiness does not come from things.  Happiness comes from a full and exciting life.”  We have the freedom to do just that; if we would only do something about it.

Perhaps instead of chasing the next thing we could chase our next idea, our next experience? Imagine if you can a world full of curious people exploring and knowing as they do that what they see is truly divine in that irreligious way. Instead of accepting what our society tells us we ought to do, we build a society that we actually want.

We can be happy and it does not “come from things”, or ideologies, or nations, or others. We have it in us. But first we must free ourselves from those nets that so many throw at us. Don’t get fooled by their silver linings. They are cages in the end. Do not accept a cage in any form that you might find it. As you fly by those casting their nets smile and know that although they scream at you that you are lost and that they will save you that it is they that are standing, shackled.

Start with a question and see where it leads you.