"Maybe before you can be fearless, you must be humble. Maybe before you can be courageous, you must surrender. Maybe before you can have pride, you must swallow it. The ego obscures reality just as the clouds do the sun. Maybe that's why intelligent people seem more prone to phobias. It's not because they're smarter, it's because they feel more self-important. Conceit is what worry and fear feed on." — Joe Kita (Accidental Courage: Finding Out I'm a Bit Brave After All)
Browsing through my facebook, I saw this posted as the status message of my friend Tweet Sering. It caught my attention. The truth and the honesty of the writer did.
Our self obsessive culture this day and age has caused us so much anxiety for things yet to happen and so much regret and remiss for things passed. We are made to thrive in the fear of the unknown, the fear of people's opinion, failing the world's standards and so on. Yet is it really worth losing ourselves and our identities to what the world dictates as as the so called modern day standard. We can win over these imposed challenges, yes. But it takes looking in the mirror and finding out that we have what it takes.
I suppose - finding out that we're a little brave after all is not a host of just "maybes" but more of acknowledging the very basic very organic truths about ourselves.
That indeed, to be fearless one has to be humble. As Mother Teresa admonishes us- it is good to be humble. For when you are humble, you recognize your nothingness. When you are humble, neither praise nor disgrace can hurt you. Nothing can hurt you.
One who doesn't know how to be "little" as should be- cannot measure his courage against fear. His ego and his pride will overshadow the enemy and he will never know when the enemy is on approach. He will believe himself to be thoroughly prepared yet remain truly - unprepared and sightless.
One who doesn't know how to surrender, would also not know how to conquer one's self. Everything, every skill or virtue- the mastery of such begins with self. We are all works in progress. And unless we know our weakness and train in mastering it, allow guidance to take place, we will be unable to advance and win over our battles.
That indeed, in the very acts self denial and humbleness, great or small, do we actually really receive the gifts of life. We receive more in giving, in life giving ways.
Perhaps the truest lesson that I picked up on is that we do not have to pretend to be "big in life" to be actually enriched by our life and the people we encounter. The gifts and graces are abundant and available to us. We have what it takes to figure ourselves out of such an embattled culture. We have what it takes to survive, and where we fall short, God will supply us with the graces we need to get by.
It starts with such an encouragement, a belief and a decision henceforth that in fact, we are a little bit brave after all. If you acknowledge your true self, trust that you are.
