Every so often when driving at night, I notice the edges of my headlights as I make my way (usually) home. It fascinates a small part of me to see how the darkness melts away in the approach of that edge of light. The black pools of shadow burn to nothing in the yellow glow.
It struck me tonight that this is a good metaphor for people. We are all bits of light making our way towards futures that, while perhaps laid out on a paved road, exist as pools of darkness, of unknown possibilities. Sometimes another bit of light comes along our path - it could be from any angle - and that person either shines their light on where we have been or where we are going, helping us along our way. And, as much as others help melt away the darkness of our lives, we are also able to melt away the darkness around theirs. In some cases, we can never know how much we light the way for someone in an hour of need.
This is why it is so important for us to believe in our own lights and keep them shining. We are all so powerful and full of potential to help share goodness and light in our world, no matter what size that light may be.
Let yourself shine - even the edges of light drive the darkness away.
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
A Terrible and Awesome Responsibility
What a terrible and awesome responsibility it is to be alive - to live and continue living. We have so much power within us that can be used to ruin or build up the existence of all around us, including ourselves. This power is both outward - physical - and inward -emotional. How do we maintain the theoretical agreement with ourselves and one another that more comes from good than harm? Why do we maintain it? Why do some break it?
The many possible answers range from the biological to the spiritual and all of the subjects in-between, but the result is the same: we societally agree that we have a responsibility to honor this powerful, mysterious, and precious life that has been granted to us. It is both a frightening and marvelous thing to comprehend.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Who can tell us who we are?
We are all powerful. Magic is a thing of fairy tales, however much I imagined having it as a child re-enacting the world of Harry Potter (or any of the other great books of the time.) That wish can't be granted. Yet, I firmly believe that we all possess power. It's no secret. There is no key to unlock it, though it can be challenging to find and cultivate from within ourselves.
Our power lies in the strength of our self-confidence, our belief in our self-worth.
Note: this is not arrogance. There's a fine line that can be drawn between the two, but they are fundamentally different. One is ego; the other is truth. One distances us from and the other enhances our understanding of the beings around us and their own inert value.
I cannot say when or where I learned of my power. It has been over the length of my living -- I'm still finding more of its depth and dimension with each passing week, month, and year. Because of the people around me, I have been taught to cherish it, to know that it is cherished. There is not a more beautiful feeling than being allowed to be and able to love yourself (and it is only then that we can fully love others)!
The trick of such valuable power is not allowing it to be taken away. Really, it cannot be taken; we give it. It is whom we give it to that determines whether it grows or withers. Someone whose own confidence and self-worth is weak will often - intentionally or no - stifle that of others. Why we give our power to such people is highly varied, but it can be easy to do on purpose or accident.
What's reassuring is that we can take our power back from those who would diminish it. At any time, we can turn and say "No." It's not usually easy to do, or even recognize that someone is doing such a thing to us. But when we finally can see that it's happening, it is nearly impossible to let it continue. For, at the core of it all, only we can determine our self-confidence, our worth. Only we can tell ourselves who we are.
Our power lies in the strength of our self-confidence, our belief in our self-worth.
Note: this is not arrogance. There's a fine line that can be drawn between the two, but they are fundamentally different. One is ego; the other is truth. One distances us from and the other enhances our understanding of the beings around us and their own inert value.
I cannot say when or where I learned of my power. It has been over the length of my living -- I'm still finding more of its depth and dimension with each passing week, month, and year. Because of the people around me, I have been taught to cherish it, to know that it is cherished. There is not a more beautiful feeling than being allowed to be and able to love yourself (and it is only then that we can fully love others)!
The trick of such valuable power is not allowing it to be taken away. Really, it cannot be taken; we give it. It is whom we give it to that determines whether it grows or withers. Someone whose own confidence and self-worth is weak will often - intentionally or no - stifle that of others. Why we give our power to such people is highly varied, but it can be easy to do on purpose or accident.
What's reassuring is that we can take our power back from those who would diminish it. At any time, we can turn and say "No." It's not usually easy to do, or even recognize that someone is doing such a thing to us. But when we finally can see that it's happening, it is nearly impossible to let it continue. For, at the core of it all, only we can determine our self-confidence, our worth. Only we can tell ourselves who we are.
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