In what ways do you make yourself wrong?
I don't know about you, but there are tons of ways for me to make myself wrong.
No matter how hard I try, even when my intentions are pure, I am king of making myself wrong when my actions don't please someone else. Even when in my heart I know my actions are pure, when someone really disagrees with me, or my actions cause someone else to react in anger, I immediately tone down what I'm saying. I also tend to apologize, even if I don't mean it, because I would have rather had had peace than friction.
But life is teaching me a different lesson now. Life is teaching me to not back down because of fear of friction or disagreement. In fact, I'm leaning that it is vital to hold firm to what you believe in and not back down just because someone else disagrees.
I think this is what Marianne Williamson meant when she said it's our duty to shine our lights.
My perception used to be that because I was a seeker on "the path," that my job was to never ruffle feathers, apologize when "I made" someone angry and in some ways, just be a push over because I didn't want "conflict." But that view is changing now.
I have come to believe that non-violent friction, non-violent disagreement and challenging the status quo in a non-violent way is actually a great thing. I've realized that many of the folks we look up to today, who ushered in massive social and spiritual change, were all very disturbing to the status quo and the stories people were telling about their lives.
Now, I'm not suggesting you be so stubborn as to not leave room for growth, or to be so blind that you can't get new information and then change your mind.
But I am suggesting that a seeker's duty is to hold strongly to what they believe in, even if it ruffles feathers, even it it disturbs the status quo. That's what we seekers do. We are tapped into a truth or a vision that has not yet reached the mainstream. And many times our visions and our ideas can be perceived as a "threat" to the authority of the day. The "authority" could be a controlling and abusive government, or it could be a family member, lover or even just your own fear and ego.
The more I walk on the path, the more I see that it's our job to not stand down because what we say and do challenges the status quo. No, I believe it is our duty to stand up and be firm in our beliefs and that progress, innovation and conscious evolution are brought about by seekers who didn't stand down.
Did Rosa Parks stand down? Did MLK stand down? Did Harvey Milk stand down? Did Jesus stand down? Did America's forefathers stand down?
No.
And our world is a better place because they didn't.
Peaceful, non-violent disturbance has pushed the world forward since the beginning of man. Your job dear seeker, if you have the courage to accept it, is to not stand down. Hold a space of love, of progress and of unwavering conviction to the truths of your heart.
Don't stand down.
Love,
Mastin