Consciousness
in Spirituality ·
I’ve taken the liberty of tweaking this story a bit from the original version, though I’m trying to stay true to the core sentiment. If anyone out there happens to know the full details or has a written account of this, please, post it... It would be genuinely fascinating to read...
So, they caught a young Leo out while he was just wandering around looking for a meal and a mate. Naturally, they tossed him straight into the camp. Usually, they’d go after the younger ones—easier to "re-educate" them, you know? Easier to mold their habits, shove new ideas down their throats, and reshape how they see the world. But by the time they threw him into the wire, the guy already felt right at home. He had everything there: food, women, shelter, entertainment, various philosophies, religions... basically, everything a guy could ever need to survive. And if he put in a little extra effort, maybe even more. For those first few days, he just drifted through the camp, getting his bearings and sizing up the local customs and the people living there. He noticed everyone was organized into these tight-knit groups. That’s where he stumbled upon the religious sects and their endless sermons about Judgment Day, the Second Coming of the Leo (the Son of God), the absolute necessity of following strict moral codes, and all that stuff about loving your neighbor... After listening to their lectures, he spent his time watching them closely. It was fascinating... nobody actually practiced a single thing they preached. Yet, the very next day, their priest would be standing there, absolving them of every single sin they’d racked up...
He found it pretty interesting, I guess... but he decided to take a bit more of a stroll.
Just around the next corner, a bunch of self-righteous sheep and goats had gone and started their own little Bridge Club. He couldn't help but let out a laugh before moving along... A bit further down the road, though, he spotted a pack of hyenas busy collecting signatures to launch some new political parties—supposedly meant to look out for the entire camp and everything a free citizen actually needs...
He was already wound tight just thinking about those hyena types and their predatory politics. So, he kept moving. During that walk, he couldn't help but notice Leo sitting there all by himself near the perimeter fence of the camp... and just when he was getting ready to go over and strike up a conversation, he ran straight into some ladies of the night. When they spotted him, they started making offers left and right. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Honestly, over the next few days, he ended up sampling every single pleasure they had to offer. Eventually, he finally managed to break free from that scene and caught sight of Leo again by the fence. Just as he was about to head over... you wouldn't believe it...
Don't bother approaching him; the guy is a total eccentric. He’s basically the black sheep of the whole camp... doesn't socialize with anyone, doesn't ask for anything, and certainly doesn't offer anything. Just leave him be. You aren't going to get a single useful thing out of him... says Giraffe.
"You're the biggest one out of all of us. Can you see anything past the fence?" Leo asked... he had already forgotten what freedom even felt like outside those bars.
Good grief... Of course there’s nothing out there. This fence is the end of the line. Everything worth seeing is right here within these bounds. Believe me, I know better than anyone if there's anything beyond this perimeter... I can see further than any of you combined...
Leo stared him down, sensing that unmistakable undertone of deception in his voice...
I somehow managed to slip out from under her feet while she was completely preoccupied, rambling on about how wonderful the camp was... I finally made my way over to where Leo was sitting by the fence.
I sit there right next to him, just watching. Watching for a long time... Giraffe was absolutely right about one thing: he is a total eccentric—that’s what keeps crossing my mind while I stare him down—he hasn't even realized I'm sitting here yet...
Maybe he should just lean in... instead of trying to drag that old Leo back into the fray...
So? What's the verdict?
I’ve only been stationed at this camp for a little while now, but I’ve been watching you. Out of everything going on around here, you spend every single waking hour—day and night—just sitting there by the fence, staring. Is there really nothing else in this entire camp that catches your interest? Why do you isolate yourself like this? You don't talk to anyone... you just stay detached. What is it, really, that keeps you glued to that fence from sunrise to sunset...
Leo smiles.
First off, the camp is certainly an interesting concept, and there’s plenty to get lost in. But that’s exactly the problem. Every little pleasure you fall in love with just chips away at your intellect and erodes your memory of what true freedom actually feels like. Honestly, I suspect you can’t even remember what life was like outside those gates anymore...
Well... I remember something, but it’s all just a bit hazy right now. I know there's something interesting here that I've missed, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is...
Secondly, I’m not detached; it’s just that what they say doesn't interest me. They have their little Bridge Clubs where they sit around debating "freedom" while trapped inside a cage. They organize political parties just to give the residents a sense of dignity and freedom of speech within that very same cage. They offer all sorts of pleasures and indulgences that you couldn't even dream of—believe me, I’ve tasted them all, just as I’ve noticed you have too—but there was always this bitter aftertaste left in my mouth... a hollow emptiness in my chest. They set up rehabilitation centers to fix addiction, yet on the other side of the street, they run the bars and the dens selling the booze and the drugs. They work tirelessly to tighten the shackles even further, only to swoop in and "solve" the problems they manufactured themselves. It's a cycle. They promise you liberation only after death, or heaven, provided you follow the rules, the morals, and the laws... those laws written by the Leos who declare themselves the sons of God. If you don't obey, they tell you you're headed for hell. But look around. Hell is exactly what we are living in right now. Can there be any greater hell than this? To know you were once free, yet you were foolish enough to let yourself be captured?... There can't be. They are idiots, trying to convince you that through mere words and mindless repetition, you will somehow attain freedom. But you know deep down that what you truly are cannot be captured by words or restricted by techniques. They make grand promises because they have such long necks, but they are blind. Completely blind. They can't see, because they don't even possess the capacity to understand what it is they should be looking at...
- Hmm... - Leo grunted. He stared at him, having already considered walking away several times, but there was something about this old Leo that held him—something that gave the impression he actually knew what he was talking about. It wasn’t an impression he’d encountered anywhere else before. - So, what are you doing hanging around the fence? If you know all this, why are you still waiting?
- What am I doing? Isn't it obvious? I'm studying the very essence of the fence. I know who I am, and I know what I am. But in order to break free from this prison, this cage I'm trapped in, I have to grasp the true nature of this barrier. Once I see it for what it really is, liberation becomes a mere matter of time. All you need to do is figure out what it is that actually keeps you in the cage. It isn't bars—because there aren't any. Instead, they've designed the cage so that you never even think about escaping, even while you spend your entire life searching for a way out. Every door just leads deeper and deeper into the heart of the cell.
- Then what would you advise me to do?
- Nothing. Just sit and watch. Maybe the cage doesn't even exist. Maybe you just imagined it and now you're spinning in circles in your own little movie. I said, MAYBE!!! Just sit there and observe. Grasp the essence of the fence, and then walk out.
So, they caught a young Leo out while he was just wandering around looking for a meal and a mate. Naturally, they tossed him straight into the camp. Usually, they’d go after the younger ones—easier to "re-educate" them, you know? Easier to mold their habits, shove new ideas down their throats, and reshape how they see the world. But by the time they threw him into the wire, the guy already felt right at home. He had everything there: food, women, shelter, entertainment, various philosophies, religions... basically, everything a guy could ever need to survive. And if he put in a little extra effort, maybe even more. For those first few days, he just drifted through the camp, getting his bearings and sizing up the local customs and the people living there. He noticed everyone was organized into these tight-knit groups. That’s where he stumbled upon the religious sects and their endless sermons about Judgment Day, the Second Coming of the Leo (the Son of God), the absolute necessity of following strict moral codes, and all that stuff about loving your neighbor... After listening to their lectures, he spent his time watching them closely. It was fascinating... nobody actually practiced a single thing they preached. Yet, the very next day, their priest would be standing there, absolving them of every single sin they’d racked up...
He found it pretty interesting, I guess... but he decided to take a bit more of a stroll.
Just around the next corner, a bunch of self-righteous sheep and goats had gone and started their own little Bridge Club. He couldn't help but let out a laugh before moving along... A bit further down the road, though, he spotted a pack of hyenas busy collecting signatures to launch some new political parties—supposedly meant to look out for the entire camp and everything a free citizen actually needs...
He was already wound tight just thinking about those hyena types and their predatory politics. So, he kept moving. During that walk, he couldn't help but notice Leo sitting there all by himself near the perimeter fence of the camp... and just when he was getting ready to go over and strike up a conversation, he ran straight into some ladies of the night. When they spotted him, they started making offers left and right. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Honestly, over the next few days, he ended up sampling every single pleasure they had to offer. Eventually, he finally managed to break free from that scene and caught sight of Leo again by the fence. Just as he was about to head over... you wouldn't believe it...
Don't bother approaching him; the guy is a total eccentric. He’s basically the black sheep of the whole camp... doesn't socialize with anyone, doesn't ask for anything, and certainly doesn't offer anything. Just leave him be. You aren't going to get a single useful thing out of him... says Giraffe.
"You're the biggest one out of all of us. Can you see anything past the fence?" Leo asked... he had already forgotten what freedom even felt like outside those bars.
Good grief... Of course there’s nothing out there. This fence is the end of the line. Everything worth seeing is right here within these bounds. Believe me, I know better than anyone if there's anything beyond this perimeter... I can see further than any of you combined...
Leo stared him down, sensing that unmistakable undertone of deception in his voice...
I somehow managed to slip out from under her feet while she was completely preoccupied, rambling on about how wonderful the camp was... I finally made my way over to where Leo was sitting by the fence.
I sit there right next to him, just watching. Watching for a long time... Giraffe was absolutely right about one thing: he is a total eccentric—that’s what keeps crossing my mind while I stare him down—he hasn't even realized I'm sitting here yet...
Maybe he should just lean in... instead of trying to drag that old Leo back into the fray...
So? What's the verdict?
I’ve only been stationed at this camp for a little while now, but I’ve been watching you. Out of everything going on around here, you spend every single waking hour—day and night—just sitting there by the fence, staring. Is there really nothing else in this entire camp that catches your interest? Why do you isolate yourself like this? You don't talk to anyone... you just stay detached. What is it, really, that keeps you glued to that fence from sunrise to sunset...
Leo smiles.
First off, the camp is certainly an interesting concept, and there’s plenty to get lost in. But that’s exactly the problem. Every little pleasure you fall in love with just chips away at your intellect and erodes your memory of what true freedom actually feels like. Honestly, I suspect you can’t even remember what life was like outside those gates anymore...
Well... I remember something, but it’s all just a bit hazy right now. I know there's something interesting here that I've missed, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is...
Secondly, I’m not detached; it’s just that what they say doesn't interest me. They have their little Bridge Clubs where they sit around debating "freedom" while trapped inside a cage. They organize political parties just to give the residents a sense of dignity and freedom of speech within that very same cage. They offer all sorts of pleasures and indulgences that you couldn't even dream of—believe me, I’ve tasted them all, just as I’ve noticed you have too—but there was always this bitter aftertaste left in my mouth... a hollow emptiness in my chest. They set up rehabilitation centers to fix addiction, yet on the other side of the street, they run the bars and the dens selling the booze and the drugs. They work tirelessly to tighten the shackles even further, only to swoop in and "solve" the problems they manufactured themselves. It's a cycle. They promise you liberation only after death, or heaven, provided you follow the rules, the morals, and the laws... those laws written by the Leos who declare themselves the sons of God. If you don't obey, they tell you you're headed for hell. But look around. Hell is exactly what we are living in right now. Can there be any greater hell than this? To know you were once free, yet you were foolish enough to let yourself be captured?... There can't be. They are idiots, trying to convince you that through mere words and mindless repetition, you will somehow attain freedom. But you know deep down that what you truly are cannot be captured by words or restricted by techniques. They make grand promises because they have such long necks, but they are blind. Completely blind. They can't see, because they don't even possess the capacity to understand what it is they should be looking at...
- Hmm... - Leo grunted. He stared at him, having already considered walking away several times, but there was something about this old Leo that held him—something that gave the impression he actually knew what he was talking about. It wasn’t an impression he’d encountered anywhere else before. - So, what are you doing hanging around the fence? If you know all this, why are you still waiting?
- What am I doing? Isn't it obvious? I'm studying the very essence of the fence. I know who I am, and I know what I am. But in order to break free from this prison, this cage I'm trapped in, I have to grasp the true nature of this barrier. Once I see it for what it really is, liberation becomes a mere matter of time. All you need to do is figure out what it is that actually keeps you in the cage. It isn't bars—because there aren't any. Instead, they've designed the cage so that you never even think about escaping, even while you spend your entire life searching for a way out. Every door just leads deeper and deeper into the heart of the cell.
- Then what would you advise me to do?
- Nothing. Just sit and watch. Maybe the cage doesn't even exist. Maybe you just imagined it and now you're spinning in circles in your own little movie. I said, MAYBE!!! Just sit there and observe. Grasp the essence of the fence, and then walk out.