Chapter 14: On Freedom ~ Gibran’s The Prophet with Journaling Prompts
And an orator said, Speak to us of
Freedom.
And he answered:
At the city gate and by your fireside
I have seen you prostrate yourself and
worship your own freedom,
Even as slaves humble themselves before
a tyrant and praise him though he slays
them.
Ay, in the grove of the temple and in
the shadow of the citadel I have seen
the freest among you wear their freedom
as a yoke and a handcuff.
And my heart bled within me; for you
can only be free when even the desire
of seeking freedom becomes a harness
to you, and when you cease to speak of
freedom as a goal and a fulfilment.
You shall be free indeed when your
days are not without a care nor your
nights without a want and a grief,
But rather when these things girdle your
life and yet you rise above them naked
and unbound.
*****
And how shall you rise beyond your days
and nights unless you break the
chains which you at the dawn of your
understanding have fastened around your
noon hour?
In truth that which you call freedom is
the strongest of these chains, though
its links glitter in the sun and dazzle
your eyes.
And what is it but fragments of your
own self you would discard that you may
become free?
If it is an unjust law you would
abolish, that law was written with your
own hand upon your own forehead.
You cannot erase it by burning your law
books nor by washing the foreheads of
your judges, though you pour the sea
upon them.
And if it is a despot you would
dethrone, see first that his throne
erected within you is destroyed.
For how can a tyrant rule the free and
the proud, but for a tyranny in their
own freedom and a shame in their own
pride?
And if it is a care you would cast off,
that cart has been chosen by you rather
than imposed upon you.
And if it is a fear you would dispel,
the seat of that fear is in your heart
and not in the hand of the feared.
*****
Verily all things move within your being
in constant half embrace, the desired
and the dreaded, the repugnant and the
cherished, the pursued and that which
you would escape.
These things move within you as lights
and shadows in pairs that cling.
And when the shadow fades and is no
more, the light that lingers becomes a
shadow to another light.
And thus your freedom when it loses its
fetters becomes itself the fetter of a
greater freedom.
***** *****
~ Chapter 14 “On Freedom” from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Spirit Nourished Earth created the image in this post in collaboration with DALL·E 3
Journaling Prompts for Self-Reflection
True Freedom
Gibran speaks of freedom as something that can become a yoke and handcuff. How might your desire for freedom limit you, and how can you embrace freedom without attachment or expectations?
Breaking Inner Chains
Gibran suggests that true freedom arises when we break the chains we’ve placed upon ourselves. What personal chains do you feel you’ve fastened around yourself, and how can you begin to release them?
Balancing Desires and Fears
Gibran reflects on the duality of desires and fears, both moving within us. How do you navigate the constant pull between your desires and fears, and how might embracing both lead to greater inner peace?
Freedom as a Process
Gibran describes freedom as evolving and expanding with each stage of life. How has your understanding of freedom changed over time, and what does freedom look like to you now in your journey?
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