Besides the title of a book on emotional ecology, «Together but not tied» is the moral of one of the legends of the famous Sioux activist Zitkala-Ša. She tells how a young couple of lovers were afraid that their love would break, so they decided to visit the Shaman of their village.
He asked her to climb to the top of the hill and catch the strongest and most beautiful falcon; and to him to catch the wildest eagle he had ever seen. Then both of them should take them alive to the village on the third day after the full moon and tie them with a strip of leather by the legs, so that they were tied one to the other. Then they would have to let them go free. The result was that when the birds attempted to fly, they fell over and over again. And frustrated and angry began to peck at each other.
The Shaman released them and told the young couple, if you tie each other up, even with love, all you will get is to drag you, hurt and be unhappy. For love to last you must fly together high, but never tied. Because true love unites but does not chain.
No better half, no emotional dependency. This is the conclusion of this beautiful legend. Because love has to be free and respectful, without limitations or ties. Simply as the sum of two complete individuals who together are happy.
