"Herr Major, I'll wager a magnum of champagne against ten cigarettes that I escape in six months," said Oberleutnant Franz Von Werra to his British captor during the Second World War. One of the most flamboyant, daring and cheeky heroes of this age, Werra is but a tiny flash of the indomitable scruffy-schoolboy spirit of mankind that peeks out from behind us every now and then, blaring out his burning desire to be away from the glaring head masters of today and be free.

To be free..
What does it mean? To the Gandhi's and Luther's of yesterday it means mud, blood and tears to attain the green fields beyond for their fellow men. To the poor black slave in the old days in the Americas it would mean being his own master again. Yet again to a troubled man, freedom would mean peace of mind, body and soul with no more worries. What then, is the actual meaning of freedom? To add another opinion to many, freedom is the respect and trust given by one strong creature to another. It is this respect and trust which is most precious to a being and perhaps also the toughest to obtain. Perhaps that is why many of us lie in wait to grab this respect from others for ourselves. This is why in order to be free; one has to be strong as well. Man thrives on this respect and trust. Take away a man's freedom, lock him up in solitary and watch him go crazy.

We have all been placed on this planet each with a personal mission to accomplish. Some believe that just realising this is a mission in itself. And like all other tasks, we can best accomplish this mission once we are free from the nuances of life. To rise, higher up above the clouds of human pettiness and to move on towards the light, to change chaos into cosmos, you need to be free. Take a step in that direction now. Respect and honour every thing around you, secure in the knowledge that it in turn respects and honours you, giving you the freedom that is the very essence of your soul. It will be tough, no doubt! But what is life without a challenge?

However once you do find out how to go about doing all this, be sure to share with the rest of us the precious knowledge, so that we too may at last merge with the infinite, and be free..