“The minute a person whose word means a great deal dares to take the open-hearted and courageous way, many others follow.” — Marian Anderson
We’ve all been there at one time or another, and with experience comes wisdom. It’s not the easy fork in the road for many, however, as life evolves and our choices become more abundant, something becomes quite evident when consciousness is the norm rather than the exception. Our word reflects who we are, or perhaps in more clarifying terms how conscious we have become. Science of Mind describes it in another way, “Are you speaking up or do you ‘go along to get along?’ It can be difficult to face our friends and peers with an unpopular stance, but it is by speaking up that we exercise our spiritual freedom and stay in integrity with who we really are.”
We all go through inordinate periods of time concerned about how and what people think about us, how we will be received, or condemned. For many it is a constancy in our existence to be accepted, welcomed, patted on the back, given accolades of approval, rewarded with promotions, remuneration, better vehicles, larger homes, memberships at illustrious or exclusive country clubs etc. The perks don’t end . . . and somewhere within that accumulated bounty of stuff, we lose ourselves which over time becomes almost irretrievable. We forget as Science of Mind states . . . “If we stay silent for fear of hurting someone’s feelings or being judged for our opinion, we are hiding that divine spark within us and contributing to our bondage.”
To many, the word bondage may be an exceptionally strong term to use. Perhaps . . . but enslaved to silence for fear of repercussions may be far worse regarding the individual’s Consciousness of Being. Once awakening takes place within each of us, there is a responsibility implied to continue refining that gift. It belongs to each of us to enhance, embellish and enrich to the best of our ability that essence. Putting it another way, Theodore Roosevelt suggests . . . “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”
Consciousness is an inside job. We can’t import it from another person, country, or entity as it cannot be shipped via next day air or express. The opportunities are limitless to open the mind, spirit and heart to the infinite possibility of who we are. We are responsible for shutting all that down, due to what the world may dictate or what we allow ourselves to fear over decades of conditioning. To step away from what the world projects as acceptable in the moment takes courage, conviction, and resonant trust within yourself as Rumi states . . . “There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen!”
Have you enslaved yourself to a dictum of behavior and conduct that is safe? Have you sold out on yourself through acceptance of what the world defines you to be? Only you can respond to these questions. This journey one day will end, perhaps not for decades to come or in the next instant because as we have heard so many times . . . tomorrow is promised to no one. However, I prefer the words of Byron Katie . . . “Life is the constant opportunity to wake up.” JLR