Bertie the Bird: Liberty and Libya

A few days ago I was standing in a classroom talking to a teacher when he pointed out that it had possibly the best view that our school has to offer. The room faces the back of our school which consists of fairly large playing fields and a wooded area that, when the weather is good, could almost be mistaken for the countryside. It’s almost like Central Park in New York – the beauteous greens and browns of nature contrasted with the ashy greys and off-whites of the buildings surrounding it.

As I was standing there marvelling at the expansive beauty of the place that I usually disregard as a litter-strewn, muddy playground for the younger years, it struck me that Bertie (the resident bird of this classroom whose cage obstructed my view slightly- it being placed right next to the windows for a prime view of the outdoors) could at that very moment be examining that same beauty and wishing that he were free to fly out of his cage and join the rest of his species out there in the vast, blue sky. I turned to look at him, surrounded by an array of plasticated items that were meant to distract him from his imprisonment, burying his head in his sleek yellow plumage, and wondered whether he ever got tired of the mirror that was supposed to trick him into thinking he had company. I wondered if he ever felt trapped.

For people, there always comes a point in life where they feel trapped. It’s inevitable, the human condition, the longing for understanding and answers that often leaves us feeling isolated. For us there are only two paths to take; firstly we could ignore the feeling, continue with life and hope for things to sort themselves out on their own. Perhaps this is what Bertie was doing -burying his head in his feathers – turning away from the view that he knew he’d never be able to experience; finding ways to deal with his reality. The alternative is to rebel. Cleanse ourselves of all the things in life that are keeping us down; blast open the door of our cage and fly, fly as fast and high as we can to put as much distance between us and what was holding us back.

This is what is happening in the Middle East at the moment. The people have seen past the bars around their lives, the bars of autocracy, to the cloudy but blue horizon that stretches out beyond it. They have realised that trapped is not the only way to be and they want out. For many of the countries so far this has worked but for Libya the most crucial accomplishment hasn’t been made; the military have not decided to side with the people. It seems that for this bird at least, freedom will only be attained by unleashing their talons, by drawing blood.

  However, the question it seems, is no longer about whether or not they will attain their liberty- this is taken as a given. The more pressing issue seems to be what it is they are pushing themselves forward to. Installing a new leader under a democratic system is by no means an easy thing – a lesson well observed from Iraq – and an unstable country could lead to even more bloodshed.

These are well-established facts that’s effects – adverse and exemplary- can be seen dating back to the French and American revolutions. Haste and impatience are not the ideal founding stones of a constitution but the problem is: how do you stop the bird that, after a lifetime of imprisonment, has finally been released from its cage? How do you slow down a progress that has long been sought after; that has been fought for and achieved at the price of the nation’s blood? How do you explain to the bird that if it doesn’t stop to think before flying off into the distance that there is a high chance that it might just smack straight into the windowpane?

Libya’s horizon seems to offer more in terms of cloud than clear skies but a cloudy freedom is arguably more desirable than secure imprisonment.