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The other day, I was struck with a thin slice of divine inspiration, the sort of little voice that supplies new outlooks on life in the simplest of words. Some call them mantras.
Here is my latest “mantra.”
“Be open to anything, and you will fear nothing.”
It sounds a bit naïve, a bit foolish. But, it’s also a true test of faith.
The Golden Rule is a similarly difficult task of forcing yourself to treat others as you want to be treated, not simply acting or reacting upon impulse. If someone makes you mad, lashing out at them might feel justified and/or right. [But, the consequences could compound into more than you dare to experience.] But, if you unintentionally–or even intentionally–made someone mad, would you like them to strike you down? Would you be okay with dying for angering someone? If you answer “yes,” then, by all means, swing your fists in anger and let karma sort out the rest.
Getting back to my previous thought…
If you open yourself to any possibility, good or bad, there is nothing to fear, nothing to question, nothing to probe until you’ve uncovered the particle within every particle. Sure; this sounds like death to science and discovery. But, there will still be discovery as you encounter it. It won’t cost you nearly as much to let surprises come to you…versus digging through the unknown to find every hidden gem or trap.
Do we really need another Pandora’s box to open?
YOU be the box that is always open. And, all of your fears will escape, leaving hope; hope of new discovery and the excitement of surprises. [Not the fear of sudden upsets.]
You know how some people get disrespected for being “Debbie Downers,” people who look for things to go wrong and see the negative side of everything. Well, they wouldn’t be that way if they opened themselves to the possibility of anything.
What challenges this faith is often what others impose upon us. Our faith or freedom to believe is endangered by threats of financial cost/risk and laws that don’t agree. Essentially, we let others tell us how to act and think, let others suppress our full potential under a blanket of fear.
Now, I’m not saying we need to rise up and rebel, tear down the White House, blow up the whole Middle East and flail weapons of mass destruction in the air as we shout so loud that the whole world can hear us.
Just…no.
Just…accept what happens and work with/around it.
Instead of squashing the bug that lands on you or your precious possessions, relocate the bug–if it bothers you–and say, “No. You stay over there.”
Defend your boundaries if you must. But, if you are open to anything, that bug can do no harm to you. Even if it could sting or inject you with its venom, unless it is determined to eat you, why would it attack unless provoked (or hungry)?
[Now, in the case of insects like mosquitoes, you use your own judgment to decide a course of action. Either protect yourself from potential harm or take your chances. I am not encouraging anyone to let a mosquito decide if they live or die. Yet, even that small instance, that possibility, might be our fate that we resist by lashing out at the bothersome bug.]
Do you ever notice how even the smallest of irritations can compound (add to) the stress you amass in your body (and mind)? Have you ever noticed how some small incident can spoil your good mood and distract you from what you thought you were doing with your day?
[And, if you are a human who has lost or is losing your hair (or the nice, rich color of your blessed-without-much-loss, thank-you-good-genes hair), do you place full blame on genetics? Or, do you consider the little stresses that amass upon your spirit, whether they are self-inflicted or the violation of others?]
Among all the unhelpful emotions that can flood our systems from the least significant of events, there is fear. And, fear can be disguised as a wide variety of other characters. Fear can appear like rage when we lash out at the “bugs” that disturb us. Fear can appear like despair or sadness when we cannot cope with some “reality” that forces us to alter our course of action. Fear can appear like mindless amusement when we deny the truth of the moment, when someone “nervously laughs” at something another sees as very serious.
That emotional baggage not only ruins our existence but also ruins the lives of those we encounter. How quickly we can dump our feelings on the people around us and turn them away like enslaved (domesticated, boxed, etc.) fish rattled by some idiot’s finger tapping their tank.
But, if we were open to anything, most likely, I imagine, we wouldn’t get so…emotional. And, in turn, we wouldn’t upset others with our emotional responses. [And, no robotic replacement is required to perform this function.]
However, here is the possible flaw in my latest “mantra.”
If everyone lives without fear and goes about living their lives as they think they can without actually influencing or pushing any buttons, we open the doors to some rather chaotic events. And, who is to say who might curb this newfound freedom of thought and take command when others let down their guard?
Again, it’s a test of faith. And, if we all could adhere to it, we wouldn’t worry about what others are doing or saying, even the little bugs that visit our space (like aliens). We wouldn’t be busy trying to seize advantage of others (or their ignorance, their lack of education). We wouldn’t capitalize on others’ weaknesses. We’d simply…experience life as it presents itself to us. We’d potentially, ideally reconnect with nature and find better balance.
Don’t you think?
Think about it. Then, let your thoughts go and just be…there.
[I’m not saying I’m already…there. But, I am always considering the possibility. Sigh. I know.]
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