“Wanna bet you can fly?”

The Truth About the Bird in the Cage

There was a large cage, one without visible edges. Inside it lived many birds. They flew, sang, built families, had food and safety – yet every day, for half of the day, they had to carry twigs.

And because it was still a cage, they could see other birds flying outside. Outside it was cold, food had to be searched for, some hid from the rain under leaves, and there were natural predators as well.

Still, those birds chirped joyfully, gathered in flocks – life looked almost magical.

But this cage did not have locked doors. Every bird could fly out. Only outside there was no safety like inside the cage.

What can we, as humans, learn from this?

We are born into a cage of economy, systems, psychological conditioning and the perception of norms which, through the usual process of socialization (kindergarten – school – university – job – house – family – security – following the familiar), become self-evident.

The system uses people as players – and the economy is a game. The game constantly changes so that we keep following it. But if we understand the game well enough,we can also play it in our own way.

That is the freedom the bird outside the “cage” feels.

There is nothing wrong with anyone.Being outside has its advantages and disadvantages. Being inside has its advantages and disadvantages. It is all a matter of personal preference.

But we can imagine it differently.

We are all, one way or another, connected to the system. In the end, the game is the same for everyone – some are directly exposed to the economy, others work within it.

Each of us carries seeds that we can plant. By doing something that has meaning for us in the long run. Not something worth dying for, but something worth living for.

Whatever that may be for each individual – because everyone has different desires.

The real question is: do we even know what that is? Have we ever truly explored it?

That personal answer – what is worth living for – these are the seeds that can one day allow us to fly.

What happens if we imagine planting those seeds into the soil?

First, the seed must be placed into the earth,nurtured, given everything it needs –especially when no sprout is visible yet. That is when roots are growing, when the seed embraces the soil. And only then is it ready to break through.

The roots nourish the plant, protect it from the wind, and allow it to live a long life.

This is what happens when we invest in something we do from the heart. It may not be visible on the outside, but an ecosystem is forming underneath.

Then comes the moment when the seed sprouts and becomes visible. From there, we simply continue nurturing it – and it can grow into a tree that feeds birds, gives shade and oxygen to people, and in autumn and winter sheds its leaves to create a warm bed for the earth beneath it.

If we translate this into economic language:

What we do from the heart, and what is larger than ourselves, are seeds that naturally open and come alive in time.

We do not know what we will receive – and if we expect nothing, even better.

But these seeds can give us space to live what we do –instead of merely working within the system.

The economy and the system are the framework. The human being is the role.

And with such an approach, the system can serve the human being – not the other way around.