by Dena Silverman

Created on: May 09, 2009

Ridding oneself of the internalized constraints of society is the first step in escaping the proverbial box in which most people are hopelessly trapped. You can spot inmates of this square prison from a mile away if you are currently outside of said box. That said, one cannot just exist outside of the box for an entire lifespan, unless of course they are born and mature without any form of socialization whatsoever. In our modern world this is virtually impossible, even children raised by wolves in the wilderness end up living in some form of constrictive container. So this leaves people who have once been inside of this box, and have escaped from its treacherous clutches. They can objectively observe this phenomenon we call the box. Circling it furtively, their first feeling is usually fear. Pure, unadulterated fear. The interior is safe, familiar, cozy even. Out here is uncharted territory. Many undoubtedly feel a fervent desire to somehow penetrate the selectively porous membrane of the box, to return to its warmth and safety. Anyone who yields to this immediate urge obviously was not ready to leave in the first place. If they would have just paused to take a deep breath and survey their surroundings, they would have found that they now occupied an infinite, wonderful space. A place without walls where their thoughts and emotions could flow freely, growing outward into beautiful spirals of creativity. After a single moment of this caliber freedom, nobody in their right mind would ever willingly return to the confines of the box. Not one.

Rather than referring to these people as escapees, or previous prisoners of the box, we call them the enlightened ones. Be they artists, scientists, writers, or pastry chefs, these are the innovators who fuel the constant growth and change of society. Without creative thinkers we would rarely, if ever, progress in any direction; good or bad, up or down, left or right, conventional people who don't test the limits of acceptable thought will get us absolutely nowhere. They are generally not understood by the rest of society, a.k.a. box dwellers, but this does not bother them, because they know that they have seen and experienced the true essence of life and living, and that is all that matters. Thinking outside the box is about acknowledging that there are traditions and conventions to be adhered to, and then unceremoniously throwing them out the window on your way to your own, box-free, creative thoughts.

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