freedom might be a fallacy

Seeing beyond the bars, not being beyond the bars

The lilting strains of the songbirds drifted merrily in the morning air, dancing in and out of the trees that were standing nearby, weaving its way tantalisingly around the neighbourhood. Yet amid the chirping voices that fought to compete with one another, a single voice stood out from the rest.

This was bird was not particularly special, it didn’t have a wonderful set of rainbow-kissed feathers, it wasn’t bred in an exotic country and it surely wasn’t the best singer around. It was slightly scruffy around the feathers, mostly white in colour, with a few blue feathers straining to find their place among its fluffiness. But what made it so special, was partially the fact that it was sitting trustingly on the hand of its owner, and singing. It didn’t sing because it was born to do so, but it sang because it was glad to do so. And that made all the difference.

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Settled back into her own cage and left to dangle amongst the rest of the songbirds, the little blue bird chirped a cheerful greeting to her friends around her.

“Heya, Good morning everyone! I haven’t seen you all in some time…so how are you all doing?”

Tilting her head to view the birds around her, she was pleased to hear a chorus of replies. The sea of concern and cheer was parted though, when an impulsive bitter voice cut through the hallmark greetings.

“Blue, my foolish friend, did the absence knock all the feathers out of your head?!? That was freedom just within your grasp and you just let it go like that…Do you know how hard it is for any of us birds to get a chance to get out of our cages untied up? You should have just FLOWN AWAY!”

The red bird fluttered around in restless anger, beating his hard-tipped crimson feathers against the bars of the cage, as he was wont to do.

The little blue bird sighed inwardly to herself, but patiently tilted her head to one side as she looked squarely at the red bird. She was once like that, wanting to stretch her wings past the narrow bars of her cage, seeking the idealistic concept of freedom out of her cage. But she knew differently now, experience had taken care of that.

“Red…what is freedom?”

“Well, foolish Blue, freedom is being out of this cage. Freedom is being able to stretch my wings and soar in the blue skies above. Freedom is not having to sing for my birdseed, not having to pander to those humans who keep us in cages. Well, simply put Blue, freedom is being free, from all restrains and from all these bars.”

The little blue bird lifted her left wing and stretched out its tip for the red bird to see. It was scarred at the tips and new feathers were still trying to cover up the closed wound.

“That is hardly freedom Red. When there are no constraints, things get pretty scary in the real world.”

Gesturing with her other wing towards the dully coloured sparrows that hopped around in the trees nearby, she continued.

“Do you know what your idea of freedom entails? It means having to fight to find food and water every day. It means desperately searching for shelter every time a storm starts spreading in the sky. It means having to watch your back at every moment for things that will be out there to harm you. That freedom is a lonely thing, fighting for survival often is.”

The little blue bird said the last line rather solemnly, in the tones of one who had experienced it and was thankful to be alive. Gazing into the blue skies above her, she whistled a little ditty to herself. A small sad smile crept into her eyes, as she haltingly spoke to a much sobered Red.

“The restrains and boundaries that my owner sets for me is what truly makes me free. Freedom is not in the skies above, freedom is right here in my little cage. By putting me in a cage, he has set me free from the fear of things that could harm me. By giving me birdseed at times of the day, he has set me free from having to fear starvation. ”

“And…”, paradoxically, a sly feline grin sprung into her voice, “By taking care of me, he has set me free from having to care for myself”.

The tension in the atmosphere was drowned in the mirthful laughter that followed. Yet despite of the cheer of the laughter, a more solemn sober mood prevailed.

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It became a talking point among that group of old friends, one amazing incident that no one could quite believe happened, or could quite understand.

As they would all recall to themselves in a smattering of Hokien, Mandarin, Malay and English, over Kopi-O and Teh-si at a coffee shop, their birds went silent.

They would tell stories about how the little blue bird had sung along to the rest of the birds, as though telling them a story. About how after a clattering of noise, all the birds went eerily silent, as though contemplating something. And most importantly, about how on that day, each of the songbirds sang more sweetly than they ever had, with the melody serenading the neighbourhood.

A weathered old man would sit in a corner during these discussions, with a gentle smile on his face. He had a feeling that he knew what had went on.

got this from *somewhere*. Find it quite... eh... true lah... i mean i'm damn eager to stop schooling and go work cause i find schooling really retarded, but i mean.. i'll never know. Maybe in future i'd say things like, i rather go back to school, life's better there.

But i'm gonna look ahead positively, wun look back and long for what i've already abandoned. Yeps.

and qixiang, dun worry.

Anw, i listen to the song on my blog again, and must say it's very nice.. especially toshi's vocals. Forever love is considered yoshiki's "ultimate love song" though i think being so emo it's more of a sad song.... nevertheless beautiful i think..

one of these days i surfed around and found his cult's webbie, and downloaded one of the songs.. they were so... peaceful? haha.. i mean if a group says things like dun hate everyone, hate is fabricated.. it's not really a cult right? A philosophy maybe? yeap... and we dun know what these stars are in real life so we dun knoe if they are nice people anot. Maybe instead of joining a cult and becoming worse off he actually achieved peace within his heart? maybe the lyrics of X really bothers him so much?

we'll never know. But shall enjoy the song nevertheless...

Forever Love
Words & Music by Yoshiki

Mou hitori de arukenai (I'll never walk alone again)
Toki no kaze ga tsuyosugite (the winds of time are to strong)
Ah kizutsuku koto nante (Ah, it's that what you hurts)
Nareta hazu dakedo ima wa... (which you'll have to live with...)

Ah kono mama dakishimete (Ah, this tight embrace)
Nureta mama no kokoro o (and this burning, unchanged heart...)
Kawaritsuzukeru kono toki ni (In this ever changing time)
Kawaranai ai ga aru nara... (love will never change...)

Will you hold my heart
Namida uketomete (Stop flowing tears...)
Mou kowaresou na (Again, all of my heart is broken)
All my heart...

Forever Love, Forever Dream
Afureru omoi dake ga (Only flowing emotions)
Hageshiku, setsunaku (bury this intense, trying)
Jikan o umetsukusu (meaningless times...)
Oh Tell my why.....
All I see is blue in my heart....

Will you stay with me
Kaze ga, sugisaru made (Wait until after the wind passes...)
Mata, afuredasu (all my tears are still flowing...)
All my tears...

Forever Love, Forever Dream
Kono mama, soba ni ite (Stay with me like this)
Yoake ni, furueru (Hold my trembling heart)
Kokoro wo, dakishimete (in the dawn...)
Oh stay with me!

Ah subete ga, owareba ii (Ah, everything good seems to be ending)
Owari no nai, kono yoru ni (In this unending night...)
Ah ushinau mono nante (what else would you lose)
Nanimo nai, anata da-ke (if nothing at all matters)

Forever Love, Forever Dream
Kono mama, soba ni ite (stay with me like this)
Yoake ni, furueru (Hold my trembling heart)
Kokoro dakishimete (in the dawn)

Ah, Will you stay with me
Kaze ga, sugiaru made (Until the wind passes)
Mou, dare yori mo, soba ni... (stay with me again)

Forever Love, Forever Dream
Kore ijyou arukenai... (I'll never walk this path)
Oh tell me why, oh tell me true
Oshiete ikiru imi o (teach me how to live)

Forever Love, Forever Dream
afureru namida no naka (within flowing tears)
kagayaku, kisetsu ga (Bright seasons will forever change)
Eien ni, kawaru made (Again and again...)
Forever Love...