Those Invisible Chains...

One day, while playing with Karan, a friendly street dog, I suddenly had an urge to take him for a walk. Not that he really needed one, after all, he was a stray, free to roam the street whenever he wanted. Yet as a selfish human being, I wanted to possess him, if only for a few minutes. I retrieved the chain used to tie up Steve, my pet dog. Even though I loved Steve very much, but sometimes I would feel guilty that the poor thing did not have the privilege of freedom, in spite of having everything else he could possibly desire.
Armed with the sturdy chain, I gleefully went ahead to tie up Karan & take him for a walk. But the street dog was not someone to be enslaved! He put up a brave and noisy protest as I tried to put the chain around his neck. This was strange, given that he was a very sweet & soft natured dog. I had expected him to meekly give in to my stupid egoistic wish. Though surprised, i was not going to give up. I again tried, by holding him tightly with one hand while attempting to slip the chain around his neck with the other.
But no way! He shook his head from side to side & squirmed out of my grip.
This was very much surprising, because Karan was the very same animal who would let me shampoo him & decorate him with henna & bindi. He was my sweet little doll!!
Now, why would he not co operate with me this time? Because co operating this time would mean compromising with his freedom. and he was so fiercely independent that he would not let go of it at any cost- not even for a human being he loved & trusted.
I realized my mistake & let him go- had my love for him been true, I would not have tried to possess him.

I wonder, why we human beings often lack the spirit of independence & courage to follow our hearts, which even those beings ranking lower in the evolutionary hierarchy have?
Why are we bound by so many shackles that on deeper thoughts, are non existent?
Do family & society really limit us, or are we prisoners of our own imagination?
Why do we choose to meekly submit to the unreasonable expectations of others instead of gathering the spiritual strength to resist?

It is really funny that dogs, whom many consider as lowly, are far more capable of showing character when required than the so-called higher organism - Human Beings- are.