Mens Sana Foundation

ou can be held captive by a physical device — a straitjacket, handcuffs, leg-irons, etc. — or by a belief, something that has no more substance than a puff of smoke. If it’s the former, then someone is doing it to you. If it’s the latter, then you’re doing it to yourself.

During the Middle Ages a serf named Albert incurred the displeasure of his master, who ordered him imprisoned. He was arrested, escorted to the dungeon of the castle by a jailer carrying an enormous key, and thrown into a cell. The door was shut behind him with a clang.

Albert languished in his cell for years. Each day the door would be opened, water and bread thrust inside, and then the door would be closed with a bang.

Finally, he decided that he couldn’t take his imprisonment any longer; he’d rather be dead. But Albert didn’t want to take his own life. So he decided that the next time the jailer brought food, he would attack him, and then the jailer would kill him.

As Albert waited, he decided to familiarize himself with the way the door worked, so that he could carry out his plan more effectively. While he was playing with the handle, the door opened by itself. When he attempted to examine the locking mechanism, he found to his amazement that the door didn’t have any.

He left the cell, and groped his way along the corridor until he found a stairway which he climbed. At the top, he found two soldiers alongside an arched opening in the castle wall leading to the outside.They were chatting idly. As Albert emerged from the castle, they threw him a glance, and then returned to their conversation, completely ignoring him. He left the castle grounds a free man.

Bottom line? Simple. You can be imprisoned by beliefs whose only relationship to the outside world is the one that you give them. Change those beliefs and the outside world will change accordingly.

Think about it.