How’s the weather from where you are? Dubai’s weather has abruptly changed from cozy to little hot and musty in a span of a day earlier this week. It’s sad to know summer is going to come soon.

A few days back, I had some deep, profound thoughts. Heh. Because that’s me. I do my deep thinking on my after work walk. Kidding. I passed by the nearby police station when I took the short cut to the back alley of my office building. I’ve entered this police station premises a few times now but that day was different. I saw an open window at the side of the building. I’m not sure if the police deliberately opened it because it was hot or probably just wanted some outside air in (that part of the building was always closed before).

From that small gap in the window, I saw 3 men sitting inside what could be a temporary detention cell. They were all staring blankly into nothing. I don’t know how long they’ve been there but from hearsays, sometimes, people get detained for days before they are transferred to ‘proper’ jails. Of course, I realize that these people could have probably committed a crime.  (“Probably” because one is still innocent until proven guilty.)

The men had nothing – no TV, no books to read, no cellphones, radio. NOTHING. Nothing to do. Nothing to be busy with. Nothing to while away the time. And they are enclosed in the 4 walls of their cell, not knowing until when.

It hit me.

I’ve been stressing too much on many things lately, some of it so petty my sister can only laugh. But what I saw from that small opening in the window hit me – that it’s not about how much money you have, what kinds of house you live, your outside appearance, etc. It’s about having FREEDOM.

I cannot imagine being in an enclosed space without anything, without seeing the sun, the sky or without feeling the warmth of my kids or without the chance to talk to my friends, or simply go to the grocery store, etc. No cellphone, no internet. I could not imagine THAT.

That’s when I realized that how being free means so much. I mean, I could have known this but it’s not bad to have random wakeup calls – that once you have that precious thing called freedom which we sometimes take for granted, you can do anything (within legal limits of course).

The men I saw in the detention cell that afternoon – I feel for them but maybe, sometimes, people need to be stripped off everything to realize what they had but didn’t appreciate.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Enjoy being free.

*****

Speaking of freedom, in the other side of the world, February 25 (today) is celebrated every year (from 1986)  to commemorate the freedom of the Filipinos from dictator Ferdinand Marcos through an unarmed, peaceful People Power Revolution.