You're Already Free

There’s a traditional story about a man imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, who attempts to dig his way to freedom with a spoon —rather like the character played by Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption.

After years of bone-wearying struggle, his hands calloused and bloody, he finally realizes the futility of his efforts and gives up. Tears of frustration and desperation streaming down his cheeks, he leans back against the door of his cell, only to discover that it’s been unlocked all along.

As implausible as this story may seem, the point is clear —the prison that you imagine constrains you doesn’t really exist.

—Stephan Bodian, from Wake up Now (McGraw Hill)