Worldly Beliefs

I have heard enough warrior stories of heroic daring. Tell me how you crumble when you hit the wall, the place you cannot go beyond by the strength of your own will. What carries you to the other side of that wall, to the fragile beauty of your own humanness? – Oriah Mountain Dancer

Why have we all come to believe that what the world tells us is true?  That there are perfect families and perfect bodies, perfect husbands and wives and perfect children?  I would like to know where they all are, because I have yet to meet any and yet we are all striving to be them.

Media, Television and Radio bombard us daily, on how to look younger, get fitter, feel happier and yet in today’s paper it reads:  “The number of patients in therapy is growing by 20 percent annually.  The Australian Psychological Society reported that this year has recorded the highest rates of patients booking in for anxiety, distress and depression and that one in 10 Adults are on antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills.

We see others through eyes of envy and wish we could be as happy or as rich or as beautiful as they are and then work tirelessly to keep up with them, convincing ourselves it will be our turn one day.

Why do we feel we cannot be ourselves with one another or share the pain of our wounds that we face each day?  Why do we all feel the need to pretend?

Fear always keeps us in the dark about the truth.  Fear blocks us from being vulnerable with one another.  Fear makes us feel alone in our anxiety and stress and we become desperate for a quick fix, so that others will never see there is anything wrong.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone wants to be accepted and loved.  We all want people to like us and so we are hesitant to show others the pain and the truth of our life behind closed doors.  We become silent in our suffering for fear of rejection and allow the world to continue to promote perfection which keeps us trapped.

“The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position.” – Leo Buscaglia

Trust that we all have our own story and pain to share.  Trust that in sharing honestly with one another, you will find you are never alone and in turn you will allow others to open up and even begin to heal their wounds.

At the end of the day, pretending is exhausting and to no-one benefits from it.  It takes so much energy to keep our secrets hidden.  What needs to be faced is our fear, stepping out beyond the familiar and into the unknown.

Slow down and become aware of who you are in this world.  Accept and love yourself for who you are right now, in doing so, we can become free from the chains of falsehood and begin to live freely in our own uniqueness.

Don’t tell me how wonderful things will be . . . some day. Show me you can risk being completely at peace, truly OK with the way things are right now in this moment, and again in the next and the next and the next. . . Oriah Mountain Dancer