An Allegory?

I can imagine what it was like from his viewpoint. Actually, scratch that, I have no idea what it must have been like from his perspective. Imagine, for a moment, a man who has been chained and shackled all his life. He's a truly wretched man; he's never known a life free from that bondage. He goes about his life about the same as anyone would because he's not locked in a certain place. Moving around isn't where he's greatly limited, although it would seem quite painful; but his greatest hindrance is in stretching out or standing upright. See, the chains would tighten whenever he reached a certain height, and he could go no further.

When looking from a distance, you can't really see the chains because the man puts his clothes on over them. The chains are painfully obvious to anyone within a close proximity of the man though. Upon a discussion with the man regarding his chains, it would quickly become quite clear that he has grown to accept the chains, and even believes them to be a part of his body. The chains ran from limb to limb, and came back to a central lock on his chest. Rather than recognizing the chains for what they were, he believed them to be a part of his body, and equally important as (if not more important than) the other parts. The chains held him together, and he would fall apart if by some chance the chains were to be removed... at least this is what he believed.

Now try to imagine the reaction of someone who stumbled onto a man in this condition. Obviously his first reaction would be to try to help the bound man. Keep in mind though, the bound man believed that the chains were a part of him, and as a result he would fervently protect that lock around his chest as if his life depended on it... because in a way, it did. Fortunately, the man who stumbled on this prisoner of sorts possessed a master key for this particular kind of lock. You can imagine the conversation which would take place in that sort of situation. The man promising freedom is instead thought to be stealing the very objects that hold.

The chained man would have never seen a key before, he would have no idea what it is or what it’s meant for. All he sees is the man coming toward the lock on his chest. Naturally, he became defensive, why should he be willing to give up control of his lock and risk losing those chains that keep his arms and legs from falling off? The man tells him that this key is the only thing that will set him free; but he doesn’t believe him. ‘This man was just born without his chains… I almost feel sorry for the guy, he has so security knowing his arms and legs could fall off at any moment without chains to hold them together.’ But the man was born with chains; he knows everything the chained man has ever known, and more. It was the same scenario when another upright man gave him the key to unlock his chains, and now it was his turn.

Hesitantly, the chained man loosened his grip on the lock hanging across his chest, and allowed the upright man to hold it, and to use the key. Of course he was nervous; he had released all control over what held him together. With his eyes closed as tightly as possible, he heard the chains clang together, and hit the floor. Slowly, the man opened his eyes, and looked at his arms and legs; they hadn’t fallen off. ‘I bet they’ll fall off once I get up and move around,’ was the loudest of a thousand thoughts running through the man's mind.

Surely enough, I eventually stood upright and walked; nothing fell off. I began running and jumping; still nothing. I've been truly free ever since.