They gagged me because I held a microphone and had an audience.
My meagre influence made them feel threatened.
What are they trying to conceal?
Why do they wish to hide me from the world like a dark secret?
They don’t want to be overshadowed by someone who can think independently. They don’t want me to teach others to be analytical and not blindly follow what they are told.
The controlling structure is so diffused that I can’t pinpoint the evil. They wear benign masks and claim to be well-wishers.
The uncles and aunts who buy me gifts, the schoolteachers who rate my academic performance as excellent, both male and female heads of families, the notorious boss, the job interviewer – all freeze when they hear me express anything more than obeisance, obedience or deference.
And then, I am ostracised – the conspiracy well concealed behind layers of disdainful silence.
I speak, I try to convince, I try to defend myself against micro-aggression and then go silent.
I watch him move in circles inside his head, unable to catch any signals from real life.
He keeps repeating the words that have reverberated in his mind for decades, and he applies the same stale logic to every new situation that comes up.
“I know one thing… Blah, blah, blah…” he goes on. The problem is that others know a lot more than that one thing, and never shall the twain meet.
He finds fault with everyone who does not subscribe to his cult thinking.
He does not notice people finding an excuse to disconnect the phone while he rambles on. He refuses to accept any other perspective – be it politics, religion, social decorum or ethics.
He is a devoted son, brother and father, and goes beyond the call of duty to serve them. His clan and cult love him. No one notices the moss gathering on his thoughts, so much that he becomes unrecognisable outside his cult and clan.
He lives in the same well where he was born, and unconsciously carries the stench with him. He hates the ocean for being an ocean, and for being unable to merge with his well.
He tries his best to induce guilt and fear in others, and adopts offensive methods when rebuffed.
How can one communicate with a mental slave?
Creative Experiments and More 
There are always different opinions for the same story. It is better to listen to both.
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Wow
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very good writing, Reena 🙂 cleverly done!
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