By Don Hall

"Unless there are actual chains and bars, your imprisonment is in your mind."

That crap job that makes you question your value in the world? The one that seems like a truly shitty trade-off between your time and the ridiculously low wage in return? You can always leave it and find another job more suitable.

That unbalanced and poisonous relationship you feel stuck in? The one your genuine friends tell you to move on from? Walking away is simply a matter of choosing to do so.

That non-stop feeling of dread and outrage you feel every time you enter the bizarre circus of Faceborg or Twitter? It ends if you refuse to enter.

That bad habit that feels like a shackle around your every waking hour? Self control is a choice so make it.

The culture is shifting in so many positive ways — increased basic human rights for more and more people, less violent crime than any time in history, less poverty and starvation than humans have ever experienced, amazing technologies at our fingertips (that we can stow inches from our bungholes) — it is a debilitating trend to blame external forces on your feelings of imprisonment and oppression.

Most of it is in your specific and individual view of it and all it takes to unlock the cell door is to pull the key out of your pocket and move on.