GET BUSY LIVING OR GET BUSY DYING

The catharsis of watching The Shawshank Redemption is that it reminds many of us that we're still locked inside our own (mostly self-made) prisons—yet liberation is always within our grasp if we possess the same tenacity that Andy Dufresne has to keep digging through the seemingly impenetrable walls of resistance.

In imagining a future beyond Shawshank—after Andy is unfairly punished with a life sentence for a crime he didn't commit—the redemption trajectory for the incarcerated banker lies in overcoming the temptation to accept his cruel fate as determined by forces others might believe can never be defeated. And in proving it can be done, he ignites the possibility of liberation in the hearts and minds of his fellow inmates—just as any true Bodhisattva would.

Imagination plus determination is a hell of a drug. I should know—I'm still attempting my own escape from my self-constructed jail, and only time will tell whether I'll make it through the tunnel to the other side, where I can rip off my vest (though I'll need more work at the gym) and embrace the thunderstorm signaling my ultimate freedom.

As it's my birthday today (shared with Einstein on what is known as Pi Day), I feel compelled to take inventory of my efforts to continue down my semi-delusional path of escape. One thing I know I definitely share in common with Andy in Shawshank is the realisation that Mozart offers the quickest shortcut to liberation.

Perhaps I'll down tools for a bit and have a listen.

You should too.