“How much you love yourself and how you feel about yourself are directly proportionate to the quality and integrity of your word.” —- Don Miguel Ruiz
It seems in an extremely short time, what people say, how they say it and what they ultimately do are on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Of course as with anything else, becoming consciously aware of when this took place is illusive. It may have taken place over decades, millennia or since the beginning of time . . . take your pick. In the basic sense and last analysis, consciousness of your actions, behavior, and word are directly proportional to who you are, how you feel about yourself encapsulated with the love sustained within your essence. Inherent today as has been the case for generations Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared this thought, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that.”
When we contemplate our lives trying to make sense of the implausible, through a level of consciousness we may never have experienced before, it becomes overwhelming to comprehend what we experience in our daily lives as real. Some of the things we see, listen to, watch, experience and view precipitate more questions to which there are no answers, at least we don’t see it in the moment. It is then incumbent upon those who see, to embrace what you do understand and know . . . without reservation, hesitancy or doubt. This is not without precedent historically, as Ralph Waldo Emerson suggests . . . “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
The most fundamental work for countless numbers of people, is simply being themselves and knowing who they are. The world pulls us in directions that contort, confound,, conflate, conflict and confuse our basic nature and obliterate our senses. It takes a great deal of strength, courage, vision, and insight to understand ourselves as we truly are without the smoke and mirrors. The world not only endorses the smoke and mirrors syndrome . . . it is encouraged from the cradle. Remove the veil of illusion which deludes your existence, and consciously see yourself as you truly are . . . in the nakedness of truth, honor, integrity, ethics and love trusting that reflection perhaps for the first time. Anais Nin puts it another way, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
There is nothing to fear, except finding out who you really are, and for some that strikes terror and horrific consequences. So be it. The choice is always there for each of us, no matter which direction we take and we live with those choices for the rest of our lives. So what will it be? If you think you have an inordinate amount of time to sort it all out, think it through and back-pedal a bit . . . think again. Remember that old saying . . . tomorrow is promised to no one?” You are one step closer today than you were yesterday to the end of this life’s journey. Who you are, the choices you’ve made, the actions you’ve taken, the words you’ve expressed make an indelible mark culminating the essence of your existence, and conscious integrity. As you reflect upon what may be one of the most challenging decisions in your life to date, these words of Mark Twain may clarify your consciousness . . . “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” JLR