Untamed

Imagine a young girl, barely ten years old, sitting in a small, dimly lit room where the walls seem to close in with invisible bars. These are not physical cages, but the invisible ones society builds around her. From this tender age, she learns that certain feelings are allowed, certain desires forbidden, that she must be quiet, small, and pleasing to fit the mold crafted for her. By the time she is ten, she is already learning to hide her true self to become what the world expects. This conditioning is subtle yet relentless, shaping her identity and teaching her to silence the wildness within.

In this cage, the girl’s emotions become dangerous territory. She feels hunger—not just for food but for freedom, love, and authenticity. Unable to express this hunger openly, she turns inward, and her body becomes the battleground. Bulimia emerges as a secret rebellion, a desperate act of control and release. The cycles of bingeing and purging are not merely physical symptoms; they are cries against the cages that bind her. These acts are where she exhales her fury and refuses to fully comply with the world’s demands.

The story reveals a universal truth: many of us carry invisible cages formed by early conditioning. These cages dictate which feelings are acceptable, which bodies are desirable, and which dreams are attainable. They whisper to us to be good, to be quiet, to fit in. But inside, a wildness remains—a fierce, untamed spirit waiting to be remembered and reclaimed.

Consider the metaphor of a cheetah born in captivity, trained to chase a dirty pink bunny along a narrow path. She never sees the wild savanna, yet within her, the wildness pulses, the longing to run free. This cheetah is a mirror to our own souls, reminding us that we are not meant to live confined by cages others have built.

As we close this chapter of understanding, we recognize the importance of naming these cages and seeing their impact on our lives. Awareness is the first step toward freedom. The wildness within us calls us to listen, to feel, to question the stories we have been told. And so, we prepare to explore the keys that unlock these cages and lead us toward living untamed.