I release you

Have you ever watched the movie The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas? I’ve seen it twice. The first time, I wasn’t prepared for what would happen at the end, and I cried. The second time, over a decade later, my daughter wanted to watch it, so I joined her, having forgotten much of the storyline. It moved me deeply all over again

For those who haven’t seen it, the movie is set during World War II. A family moves and resides close to a concentration camp because of the father’s work under Hitler’s regime. What I love about this story is how it shows the pure hearts of children. No political divide, influence, or language barrier stops them from connecting with each other communicating heart to heart. It’s truly profound.

So why have I brought up this very sad, heart-wrenching story? Well, time and again, I’ve witnessed how people in homes and workplaces can behave like controlling dictators. I want to ask honestly—how many of us feel that others impose too much on our lives? How many of us act like central authorities in our own small ways, determining the worth of others, trying to control how they spend their time, or assigning roles and titles to them?

“I release you.” Those were the exact words spoken to me by a partner. Although that person later claimed it wasn’t meant in the context of captor and captive, it truly made me reflect deeply on the dance between imprisonment and freedom within ourselves and in relationships. How often do we try to control the time, money, or resources of others? How frequently do we imprison ourselves with self-sabotaging thoughts, allowing others to dictate how we use our time, money, resources or energy? Do we truly live with free will, or do we impose our will on others?

Those oppressed during the Holocaust were physically imprisoned through force of arms. Right now, we have the power to free ourselves from our inner prisons. The choice is ours in how we express ourselves, react to others, and treat those around us. We can choose to say: “Yes, I release you—my inner dictator and my inner prisoner.”

When we choose love over fear and step into the truth of who we truly are, we can collectively live in peace—like children once again, free from limitations, labels, or divides of wealth, status, or need. At our core, we are all the same — simply love.