To Thine Own Self Be True

Happy Independence Week! 

I don’t usually get political on this platform.

Let me start over… 

I don’t get political on this platform — or any platform — or ever.  

Yet, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. On that day I become sentimental and filled with gratitude for the country in which I live. 

I know there is so much turmoil these days and our country is seriously divided on many political issues. I know that even in our country of freedom there are still limitations, for some more than others. I understand that a system set up nearly 250 years ago may not hold up for the current struggles of our day.  It’s so easy to believe our voices don’t matter in such a vast and varied country. 

Where I do love to get involved, though, is bringing freedom to a more personal level. We need more feelings of personal freedom.  I side with Victor Franklin who would attest true freedom lies within.  True freedom begins with me. 

Harmony With Yourself 

Best selling author and thought leader, Panache Desai has said, “When you are in harmony with yourself, everything unfolds with grace and ease.”  

Everything???

Most of my relationship battles occur when I’m feeling the lowest about myself.  If I don’t feel pretty enough or smart enough or know what I actually believe, I will either become more silent in what I actually want or I will become overly controlling! “We are at war with ourselves” Paul says. 

If we are constantly fighting the battles of our own mind, how can we truly be present and loving with those around us?  

If I am unclear in my own mind, how can I be clear with those I love? 

If I am uncertain about what I believe on a subject (particularly political topics in this case), how will I know what to fight for or how to fight for it? 

Instead of taking time to understand what’s going on inside, “many of us create a civil war within ourselves by internalizing problems of fear, uncertainty, self-doubt, and worry — often over things we can do…little about (Patricia Holland).” 

When we are in line with our values, we lead more valuable lives! 

Can Love be the Answer?

The yoga principle of Ahimsa teaches us that love lies at the core of nonviolence which begins with love of self.  We need to understand ourselves better in order to love more — not only ourselves, but everyone around us and humankind in general. 

Love seems like such a simple-minded answer to the big problems of the world; but when we start with an understanding and love for ourselves, suddenly the world seems much smaller. Suddenly we can show up in our wholeness and provide whatever is needed. Those needs can be as small as holding your newborn baby with faith and trust or as big as marching at the next protest in your city. Those needs can be as close as serving on the school board or as distant as jumping on a plane to fly across the country to help with hurricane disaster clean up.

Whatever the cause — love can match it! Understanding what we truly value naturally lends to more love! 

Frankl writes, “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering to his own life; to live he can only respond by being responsible.”

True freedom comes through taking personal responsibility — not for your actions, per se, but for how well you understand, accept, and trust your own self.  These three pillars lead us to loving ourselves so much that we then know how to respond when those necessary political discussions arise. 

“When in harmony with yourself, everything  unfolds with grace and ease.” 

Yes. Everything. 

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Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It find its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance. — Victor Frankl