Lonely cage

Lonely cage

Text

In this lonely cage,
there are diamonds and gold coins,
but not enough air.

Context

The first line

“In this lonely cage”
Within any capitalist society, the majority of human interactions are transactional in nature. Climbing up the “career ladder” takes precedence over holding the hands of a fellow human being with nothing but affection. As a result, we all become increasingly lonely and isolated despite building large, professional networks. This feeling of loneliness and separation breeds paranoia and anxiety, that surround us like a cage. There is no escape from this entrapment.

The second line

“there are diamonds and gold coins”
Unchecked capitalism rapidly creates income inequality, which leads to widening wealth gap. However, for those who are members of the “bourgeoisie”, it offers wealth (diamonds) and investment opportunities (gold coins). We are told that there are plenty of resources for all hardworking individuals to become rich. Believing this myth, we have willingly chosen to call “the cage” our home. Liberty and freedom merely become concepts found only in books on philosophy.

The third line

“but not enough air”
“The cage”, although full of glittering wealth, lacks the basic elements (air) we need to survive. So, the competition for survival becomes intense. Those with power and money easily crush any newcomers, making it difficult for anyone to “make it big” only through diligence and hard work. That is why, the top tier of our hierarchical society is largely populated by those who inherit substantial amount of properties, while the rest of us are being crushed under the weight of mounting living costs. The concept of equal opportunity is no longer valid.