I want to break free!

“You can’t write about something, unless you know it or have experienced it. No matter what you write, it will bear resemblance to your life,” a friend once said. I couldn’t agree more. But that’s also the reason why I shy away from making my writing public: people have this absolutely annoying and an uncanny affinity to connect every bit and relate it back to the writer’s life. I mean, really, going by this logic, writers would be the most interesting people ever, which, all of us know, doesn’t quite hold true!

I also know that no matter how many disclaimers I write, every note will be viewed as “autobiographical!” So, I stopped caring. I would write, what I like, without worrying about, which friend might read too much into it and relate it to some random conversation we had over coffee, a million light-years ago! This freedom I have ordered for myself. Freedom to write, without mincing words or altering thoughts. This means a lot to me, probably even more than how free I am in my own house, region, state and country. Have you asserted your freedom for that one thing you value the most?

Everyday I read about wars to fight for freedom; countries fight for land, fanatics fight for religion, feminists for equality of sexes, and gays for homosexuality. Why do we need a broad spectrum, a magnanimous cause to fight for? Do we ever ask to be free for those relatively miniscule matters, which, in actuality, are of graver importance to us? We want to be attached to working towards big issues, it sounds way cooler. But we seldom take time out to understand, that these so-called-crucial-issues are in fact a result of us neglecting those infinite small occurrences, when we don’t put our foot down and assert our freedom.

When I started writing, I thought of stopping mid-way, thinking this wouldn’t make any difference. It would just be another note, either lost in virtual space, or being dissected and analysed by friends and strangers alike, to find a link to my life, or a link to another writer’s writing, condemning it as a cheap, plagiaristic attempt. But I went on writing, even at the risk of sounding preachy and oh-so-boring. Because this is one freedom I choose for myself!

What is that one freedom that you would fight for?

-Heta Shah,Guest Writer, Bespoken Words Team