Fear, Hunger, and Freedom: The Rope and the Snake Within

A tiger chases a deer out of hunger. The deer runs for its life.
If the tiger fails to catch its prey, it merely misses a meal — an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.
But if the deer is caught, it loses everything — its very existence.

The tiger hunts to satisfy its need; the deer runs to escape becoming prey.
That is why the deer’s speed, driven by fear, often exceeds its normal capacity.
When a tiger locks its eyes on a particular deer, it chases only that one — never distracted by others.
But if the tiger falls into a pit, its first instinct is not hunger — it is freedom. The primary need shifts from feeding to escaping confinement.

This simple forest scene mirrors our own lives — where hunger, fear, and freedom constantly chase each other in endless cycles.

The Rope and the Snake: The Birth of Fear

I am reminded of a story from the Upanishads.

A man once entered his dark house at night.
All the lamps were out.
In the darkness, he saw what he believed to be a snake.
Terrified, he screamed.
His wife rushed in with a lamp — and in the light, they saw it was not a snake but a rope lying under the bed.

So what transformed the rope into a snake?
Was it the darkness of the room or the darkness within — our own anxiety and imagination?

The Upanishads warn us that our deepest fears arise not from the world outside but from within us.
It is our mind that shapes illusions, turning harmless ropes into terrifying snakes.

The Hunger for Power and the Fear of Freedom

Consider a man who hungers for power. When he becomes a minister, that hunger transforms into fear. Surrounded by security guards, armored vehicles, and strict protection, he is told he is safe — yet he lives in constant dread of being attacked.

The gun meant to protect him becomes the symbol of his fear.
His security becomes his prison.
His freedom is stripped away by the very measures designed to preserve it.

Ironically, the idea that someone hates him enough to wish him harm gives him a strange sense of importance.
He starts finding pleasure in this fear — feeling significant in being a potential target.
Thus, he begins to see snakes everywhere, mistaking every rope for a threat.

A Society of Fear

This fear has now enveloped our modern world.
Every temple, airport, and five-star hotel is wrapped in layers of security.
We are frisked everywhere — our bags scanned, our identities checked.
Even going to the cinema feels like entering a fortress.

We assume that more security means more safety.
But in truth, we have traded our freedom for fear.
There are more terrorists in our imagination than in the real world.

We now live in a dark room — uncertain whether what we see is a rope or a snake.
And sometimes, our judgments are wrong: a rope, if used for hanging, can kill; a snake, if non-poisonous, may cause no harm.
Knowledge turns fear into understanding — ignorance keeps us enslaved.

The Nature of Hunger and True Freedom

Hunger, in its natural form, is healthy — it drives growth and sustenance.
But when hunger becomes desire, it begins to erode freedom.
A desire without restraint enslaves the mind, just as fear enslaves the heart.

Freedom, therefore, is not the absence of boundaries — it is the awareness of them.
Your freedom remains sacred until it begins to harm another’s.
Killing a goat or a cow carries different moral weights in India.
Ending the life of a brain-dead human to donate organs may restore freedom to others, while killing an innocent person destroys it.

Hence, freedom is not absolute — it exists only when it respects the freedom of others.
When hunger is guided by wisdom, when fear is replaced by understanding, and when freedom is grounded in compassion — life becomes truly balanced.

The Twisted Truths

In the end, the rope and the snake are both parts of our reality.
The rope binds when misused, and the snake protects when understood.
Our task is to bring light into the dark room — to see things as they truly are.

Only then will hunger remain healthy, fear dissolve into awareness, and freedom blossom into peace.