We will be truly free only when we are able to step out of our cultural, racial, tribal and religious cages and embrace the oneness of the humanity of the world. - Theodore Ferguson

(Excerpted from Writings on Leadership, Theodore Ferguson)

Globally, humans are still in the process of fulfilling their social development potential.  In fact, there is no society in the world that can claim to be fully developed.  We are all still in a somewhat primitive state and trapped in cages of restraint as defined by race, tribe, culture, religion and nationality, among others.  Our social systems are organised within these cages, which themselves exist within larger and less cohesive cages.  Within each of the cages there exist customs, traditions, constitutions, laws, rules and regulations that seek to regulate our still primitive or less than fully developed human behaviour. It is usually assumed that humans are incapable of their own self discipline - a sad misreading of the true nature of our humanity.  Hence, those in power seek to take control of the minds and actions of the masses.  Membership of a cage normally involves swearing allegiance to the constitution and cultural norms of the cage and to the cage masters - sometimes symbolically represented as Kings, Queens, Presidents, Tribal Chiefs and Religious Leaders,  Very often, the subjected masses are expected to blindly follow the dictates of the 'wise' masters.

The true potential of the human being can only be fully expressed when we are free of the oppression of others, while at the same time being conscious of our human potential and our personal freedom to pursue that potential.  This is true emancipation. 

Humanity's challenge is to find effective ways of transitioning from our former and still caged and group-regulated existence to one in which we more easily express our personal freedom and our potential.  The real challenge is in finding effective ways to grow the positives of our humanity such that there is less rationalisation for having cages that imprison our minds and bodies. 

Imprisonment of the mind is mental slavery.  I believe that the process of transformation to true emancipation has to begin with developing a greater consciousness of our human potential. 

We humans, must become more aware that we are not condemned to live forever in the morass of the primitive underdevelopment that we sense and grumble about every day. We do not have to continue to live in a crabs-in-a-barrel world with its entrenched racism, religious bigotry, tribal conflicts, political egotism and greed, economic exploitation, widespread corruption and other criminal behaviours.