Another Man's Cage...

I was having a hard time deciding which prompt I wanted to respond. I struggled with maybe coming up with my own, but I think I will just write about what the book means to me so far. I am going into Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation and the thoughts of zoo's that are addressed in this book have opened my eyes. 

Are animals really happy in those cages? Wouldn't they want to be in the wild roaming free? These questions are answered by simple means of... home is home. These animals see the zoo as their home they are free from all the hardships of predators and the constant fight for food and survival. They are guarded from a life of fear. I felt really good about this explanation. When I started to look for symbolism since that is now engraved into all my reading ever since The Things They Carried it completely spoke to me. 

How many people complain about religion as being stunting and limiting? So often I hear people say oh I can't do that... But really if they chose to they could. Religion is for a persons benefit. I think if it is not making you happy and if it's not making you a better person, look for something new.  As I read about the animals being safer and happier in cages then out in the wild I thought about my religious views as a safety  "cage." If I were to think in symbolic terms... I would be one of the caged animals not caged from roaming free and doing as I choose but barred from the scares of the outside world. I can still see everything that goes on and could find an escape if i so chose, but the world is much brighter on the inside of my "cage." 

The cruelty of animals is a representation of religious intolerance or persecution of religion. There have been many times especially as I think back on my years in junior high. My friends would want to go and do something and then they would say... " Oh we can't do that Kimi is here." It hurt back then, but now I am proud of it. I am glad that people know who I am and what I want from life. Some may taunt me through the bars, but my "cage" is my home and I will not abandon it. My "cage" or religion is what makes me free. Because of heading the direction of my religious leaders and the teachings of my parents I am not addicted to anything, I don't have any terrible habits, my mind and conscience are clear, I am FREE. Some may say there is no living in that, no adventure, no mystery! But one man's "cage" could be another man's "freedom."