What is Freedom?

I once thought freedom

meant never following the rules,

doing what you want

when you want,

everyone else be damned.

But I confused it for

a rebellion with no empathy

and found myself caged once again.

Then freedom became expression,

unfiltered thought with no consequences.

But this soon felt unbalanced,

my words stabbing those I loved

all for my own selfish sense of freedom.

So I wonder to myself,

"What is the cage

that keeps me from freedom

made of?"

The bars are made of self doubt,

insecurity masquerading as confidence and ego,

the ceiling is a mirror,

reflecting back to you

that which you couldn't possibly see

from the current perspective,

and the floor you stick to

with the help of gravity,

that's what everyone says you can or can't do,

the harder you listen,

the heavier your feet become.

The lock that keeps the door closed though,

that's connection to others,

the key is unconditional love,

it's how we free ourselves and those around us.

It's not brute force that frees everyone effortlessly.

It's not about escaping your own cage

and leaving everyone else to rot in theirs.

It's about the collective escape.

That is what I see freedom as now.