Growing up, Independence Day for us was half day, special school assembly, cultural program (one Angrezo Bharat Chhodo skit, one Des Rangeela dance and one Hind Desh ke Niwasi group song), flag hoisting, rashtragaan and the strangely delightful laddoo-samosa plate (with 4 chashni wet potato wafers 😑). A lot has changed since the school days. Needless to say, life is not gulaab-jamuns anymore. With age and time have come new definitions and interpretations of the word independence. It got us thinking, what is independence? Is it just an annual discussion topic, or an everyday phenomenon? Last week, on India's 75th birthday, we asked ourselves and those around us... "What do you want independence from?"
We got some interesting responses to say the least, from serious like financial freedom to fun, like no curfew times. Here are a few of those:
The barking dog in my head. Intrusive, degrading, and just really negative things my brain tells me regularly.
Taking tension and worrying.
I want independence from the ques "when will you get married"🙈
I want independence from people's opinions, interference and taunts.
Independence from the religious angle of politics in India. And the wave of intolerance all around.
My fat.
Independence from the irrational fears I keep harbouring. Fear of failure, being unable to change, fear of having lived and not mattered
Irrational thoughts. Self-complaining.
A life that tells me I'm not enough. Independence from the thoughts I have in my head that keep telling me I lost someone, I don't have something, and I am not someone I wanted to be, or I aspired to be.
Independence from the fear of tomorrow. (Not knowing where the road will take and not in a wanderlust-ic manner more like a head on car cliff diving way)
Bank balance ki chinta se freedom!
While some responses made us smile, some made us ponder, then there were some that had us nodding in agreement, yelling "Yes, I'd like that too!". We realised we are not alone in wanting freedom from the voice in our head that says, "you can't do this!" "You're not good enough", "have you done enough?", "Have you explored enough?", "Are you enough?"
Our minds sometimes can be empty houses where the echoes are loud, and no other voice can stand against them thoughts.
On those days, know that embracing every small step is important and every little effort matters. Challenge your thoughts: Why? Who says it must be so? Whose words are these? How else can I look at this?
Change the dialogue. Remember, that the mind is not always telling the truth, especially when it's full of dark thoughts. Have an internal Q&A session. Talk back. That'd be a start. A start towards breaking free of the cycle.
This post is over a week late, yes. But do dates really matter when we're talking about freedom from such foes? In a world expanding its horizons to all realms, from technology to human rights, here we are, and the people we know and care about, plagued by mental health issues that they need freedom from. We would love to explore more on this topic which is why we're leaving it to be an open discussion. Let us reflect upon what makes us feel independent and what chains we'd like to break free from.
Today and every day.
Tell us in the comments what do you wish to be independent from. We'd love to hear/read it!
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