We imagine that we want to escape our selfish and commonplace

"We imagine that we want to escape our selfish and commonplace existence, but we cling desperately to our chains." — thus spoke Anne Sullivan, the teacher whose light pierced the darkness of another soul. These words are not merely a reflection on human nature; they are a revelation of our most hidden struggle. For within every heart lies the desire for freedom, yet how often do we choose the comfort of our chains over the uncertainty of liberation? Sullivan, who taught the blind and deaf Helen Keller to see with her mind and hear with her soul, understood that the greatest prisons are not of iron and stone — they are the invisible walls we build around our own spirit.

To imagine escape is easy. The mind dreams of greatness, of transformation, of breaking free from mediocrity and fear. We whisper, “I wish I were different. I wish my life were larger.” But when the door of change opens, we hesitate. Why? Because freedom demands the death of the familiar self — the end of habits, comforts, and excuses that have long protected our weakness. Thus, we cling desperately to our chains, polishing them as though they were jewels, mistaking their weight for safety. The tragedy is not that we are imprisoned, but that we have learned to love the prison.

Anne Sullivan saw this truth not only in others, but in herself. As a child of hardship, raised in poverty and illness, she might have surrendered to despair. But she did not. When she met Helen Keller, a child locked within her own mind, Sullivan faced the embodiment of the quote’s truth: a soul yearning for freedom yet bound by the chains of darkness. Through relentless patience and imagination, Sullivan broke those chains one by one — teaching Helen the meaning of words, of life, of light itself. It was proof that escape is possible only for those who dare to let go of what binds them, even if those bindings feel like all they have ever known.

History, too, tells of this inner struggle. Consider the people of ancient Israel, freed from Egypt’s bondage. They cried out for deliverance, yet once in the wilderness, they longed to return to their captivity. Freedom frightened them. So it is with all humanity: we are drawn to the familiar chains of custom, comfort, and fear, even as we speak of transformation. True freedom requires the courage to face the wilderness within — to walk unshackled through uncertainty and become more than what we were.

To escape the commonplace existence, one must first recognize it for what it is — a prison of the mind built from comfort, fear, and self-deception. We are not born to crawl through life seeking safety; we are born to rise, to strive, to become luminous through challenge. Yet many live like sleepers, clinging to their routines, their small resentments, their quiet mediocrity, because it is easier to remain bound than to risk the unknown beauty of change. Sullivan’s words strike like a bell through centuries: the will to freedom must be stronger than the fear of pain.

The lesson is this: do not mistake the comfort of chains for peace. When your heart stirs with discontent, when your soul whispers that you are meant for more, do not silence it. That voice is your awakening, your call to break free. To change your life, you must tear away the bindings of pride, laziness, and fear. To become more, you must abandon the false safety of what is familiar. For every act of courage — every moment you choose the unknown over the comfortable lie — you forge a key to your own liberation.

So, children of tomorrow, remember: it is not the world that binds you — it is your attachment to the world as it is. Freedom is not given; it is chosen. Cast off the chains you have mistaken for treasures. Stand, trembling if you must, but stand free. For only when you dare to let go of the known can you awaken to the vastness of your being. This is the truth Anne Sullivan lived, taught, and bequeathed: that liberation begins not in the world around you, but in the courage to release the chains within your soul.