I write a diary everyday. At the foot of every A5 page is a quote which sometimes I notice, often I don’t, but I thought that yesterday’s quote was worthy of a post on my blog.

Here it is:-

“The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states”         Mahatma Gandhi

Of course, Gandhi here is referring to the reality faced by British rulers in India, that once the consent of the Indian people to British rule ended and turned to a quest for independence the momentum to achieve that goal was unstoppable.

I believe that each of us has a capacity to become enslaved to a belief, a fear or a rejection of our truth which has the capacity to enslave us.

When I eventually chose freedom over slavery in my own life I found the courage to bring the truth about my suppressed gay sexuality to my wife and some members of my family and I experienced liberation through their love and acceptance.

I accept that the outcome of my liberation from slavery may have been different, perhaps difficult, like it was for the Indian people in their quest for independence, but once the resolve is made to end slavery the fetters fall.

If you live a life of fear, hatred or the rejection of your truth, like me and countless others before you, choose freedom over slavery and watch those fetters fall.

My next blog will be: Tuesday Mass

William Defoe