To those who chose freedom!

(A remarkable parable toast)

Once upon a time in a distant land, a criminal found himself condemned to death. As the moment of his execution drew near, the king approached him with a proposition:

"You stand at a crossroads," the king said, his eyes fixed on the criminal. "Before you lie two choices: to be hanged at the gallows, or to meet something concealed behind this foreboding iron door."

After a period of contemplation, the criminal reluctantly opted for the gallows. However, as the noose tightened around his neck and the shadows of fate closed in, he turned his gaze to the king and implored:

"Your Majesty, in these fleeting moments before my life fades, could you grant me the knowledge of what lies behind that imposing iron door?"

With an air of composed wisdom, the king replied, "Certainly, I shall reveal to you the truth. Behind that very door resides freedom." He paused, his voice carrying the weight of generations. "Curiously, most who are given the same choice you were just presented with opt for the gallows."

. . . .

It is the unfathomable that often instills the deepest trepidation within us.

Let us now raise our glasses to those who, in the face of the unknown, dared to seize the mantle of freedom!