Prison Life on Planet Earth

If you were trying to break out of prison do you think the prison library would have books on the best escape routes? Would you attend the latest seminars on "Super Secret Escape Routes of the Ancients"? Is your attitude: "Hey, they're time-honored methods, passed down for centuries, so that's gotta make 'em good, right?"

What do you think, the guards are idiots?
You're in prison, remember?
And I'm talking high security here.

Do you think your cellmate knows a way out? If so, what's he doing here, much less blabbing it to anybody who shows so much as a passing interest? And, the authorities, the guards, and everyone inside that place all try to seem like your best friends... but are they really?

Now, you ARE in prison and the prison is alive!
It's everything you perceive, think and feel.
It is Life itself and it's keeping you down on the farm.

"What a crock! BS! Hogwash!" you say? "I can change anytime I want to, if I really wanted to. In fact, I'm in an ongoing pursuit of ways to improve myself right now, have been for years in fact!"

Yeah, and you could just up and walk right out of your cell, anytime you want, if you just wanted to bad enough - riiiight.

"Well hey, just who are you to insult my living quarters mister smarty pants! I'll have you know that this is no run of the mill, shabby hoosegow! Why, just look - over here I've got my diploma hung up on the wall, and on this wall I've got altruistic intentions and good thoughts. Why there's even a porcelain altar in the corner for my spiritual attainments. Maybe it ain't finished yet, but this cell ain't so bad, lemme tell you!"

Life's ordinary answer to those unhappy with the feel of their prison cell is to redecorate, and redecorate some more so that the cell is never quite finished. Why not just go the whole nine yards and get out? Oh wait, I forgot. You're not really in some kind of prison, are you? I mean, you look around your head and it's not like you see some kind of bars or walls or such. Boy oh girl, are you dense.

Well, if you aren't in prison, then do this one little thing for me - it's a really simple thing - come on, just humor me. Go off by yourself in a nice quiet spot where you won't be disturbed and sit down and for a full two minutes STOP THOUGHT, don't think about anything else - zero, zip, nada - just stop all thought! Hey, it's only a couple of minutes and it's not like you won't start thinking again when you're done. I promise, you won't hurt yourself.

"Ahh, what's the point, I could do that if I really wanted to. That's so simple it's not even worth trying."

Is it? Do it again, then, this time for twenty minutes. It won't kill you, but maybe you'll learn something! Do you really like your cell that much?

What? What's that you say? You actually do want to get out? Ahh! Now that's a different story.

Lemme ask you something then: Can I bring you a cake?