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Prison Days

Chialin Lee

We live in a free country, but we are imprisoned.

We have the freedom to make choices, to think and express our opinions and to travel to wherever we wish, but yet we are in a prison. Every morning you go to work and you are locked within the walls of the office. You are told what time to be at work, to go for lunch, to be back from lunch and what time to go home. You look out the window and you see the beauty of life outside and wish you too were part of the outside world. You look out and inside you are screaming, "let me out! I want out! Help me!"

You go to work and you are paid for the hours you are at work. When payday comes, it's like an addiction to drugs. At first, you experience the high because the money is there and then you experience the low when your money is gone after paying the bills and expenses. Then we keep going until the next payday and once in a while you may save enough to put away in a savings account.

Then every year you get outside time when you go on vacation for a few weeks. You may go away but on the trip, thoughts like this cross your mind: Can we afford this? We are spending way too much money. We shouldn't spend money we don't have. Should I have the chicken dish or go all out and order the lobster dish? Oh heck, I'm on vacation and I'm going to splurge.

After some air and sunlight outside, you must go back into the cell. You get back into the darkness and look forward to the next time you get to go out and play.

Some people feel safe in the cell and choose to be there. But if you are screaming to be let out, then you need to think of an escape route, to think outside the box. The hardest part is questioning if you can survive out there.

Do you choose to stay or break out?

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