LICKING THE RAZOR’S EDGE

Addiction #33 – RESIGNATION
(Part 2 … a Way to Freedom)

“There’s no sense in being pessimistic. It doesn’t work anyway.” ~ unknown

“Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that a situation simply is what it is, and that there’s always a way through it.” ~ inspired by Michael J. Fox

“How strongly that poisonous net holds when one is unaware of what it is made of, and yet how easily it falls apart when one consciously begins to countermand its malicious urgings.” ~ Clarissa P. Estés

As I pointed out in the first part of this chapter, it is psychologically reasonable to entertain the belief that we are all essentially powerless to effectuate any meaningful change in our lives. AND YET, even more important is the practical Truth that THIS BELIEF IS A LIE – an illusion born in our primitive history, strengthened by our cultural leaders (both political & religious), and crystallized by our own cowardice.

The simple yet oft-ignored fact of the matter is this: WE ARE ALL INCREDIBLY POWERFUL BEINGS.

Each & every one of us, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, can choose to act in ways that literally transform lives – both our own, as well as those around us. In fact, the “worse off” we happen to be, the more powerful we become …

Consider the following oft-forgotten Truths:

*TRUTH #01: There is always GOOD to be Done …

No matter where we are or how we are feeling – no matter what is happening to us, or when we happen to briefly pause to ponder the same, there is ALWAYS something we can do to brighten another’s day or ease another’s burdens.

We may not like the choices we have been given in a particular moment, and yet choices remain for us therein. Believing that there is nothing we can do about a certain situation does not make it so – it merely makes it impossible to see the open opportunities to Care that are always waiting nearby.

*TRUTH #02: The more difficult the deed, the more potent its effects …

Not only does every act have its consequences, but the intensity with which an act is performed multiplies the potency of its effects.

This means that the more we want to run away from a relationship, the more powerful it is when we choose to stay and Love anyway,

… that the more we want to defend ourselves with “healthy boundaries”, the more potent we become when we let down our guard to open ourselves anyway,

… that the more we want to lash out at those who have harmed or insulted us, the more compelling we become when we choose to forgive them calmly anyway,

… that the more we want to pass by a homeless person on the street (or blithely drop a callous quarter into their cup), the more transformative we become when we stop to listen to their stories anyway,

… that the more we want to avoid reaching out to “scary” strangers, “evil” enemies or “mean people”, the more enlightening we become when we look them gently in the eye and give them a sincere smile anyway.

Please remember: there is no such thing as an insignificant act of Kindness!

*TRUTH #03: It only takes a few dedicated individuals to “awaken” entire populations …

That’s right, my Friends, it is not necessary for a majority of us to engage Kindness for the rest of humanity to catch on. Sociologists are showing ever-more conclusively that groups of humans respond en masse to new & effective behaviors when only a tiny percentage of a population (possibly as little as 1%, certainly as little as ten) is witnessed courageously enacting them.

And the key word here, of course, is “witnessed” … While more & more people are reading & thinking about the concept of “radical Kindness”, reading & thinking are not enough. While more & more people are meditating and talking about “selfless service”, meditating and verbally sharing are not enough. And while more & more people are “doing good deeds” out of a sense of obligation or even self-interest, community service via such self-centered intentions is not enough.

The Kindness that brings Great Power must be rooted solely in the desire to bring Peace to the other – not for any personal gain whatsoever, and even if personal discomfort is a distinct possibility. Goodness is truly transformative, but only if our Goodness is truly GOOD … only if that Goodness is done solely for the other; only if our Goodness is done solely for Goodness’ sake.

And, most importantly, we only need a small percentage of our population openly demonstrating the power of this true, selfless Kindness for that concept to take hold and steadily become the norm as opposed to the anomaly; the rule as opposed to the exception.

Granted, 10% of the Earth’s population behaving selflessly is currently an unreasonable goal, and yet 10% of your neighborhood is not, especially when you consider that this process starts within your own circle of friends and associates.

Think about it: within any social circle of ten people or less, YOU ARE THAT 10% … You ARE that Power-full Force … You ARE that Beacon lighting The Way.

In all such situations, you can LITERALLY create the change you wish to see!

So, now that you have recognized (via the first half of this chapter) where Resignation has taken root in your own life, and now that you understand just how Power-full you truly are, it is time to start playing your small-yet-incredibly-significant role in saving Humanity.

To help you get started, consider the following general tips:

TIP #01: AVOID INDIGNANT ANGER

The more we free ourselves from the prisons that are our addictions, the more aware we become of the forces & the individuals that combined to lock us up in the first place. And as this information becomes increasingly clear, it becomes increasingly tempting to become quite angry at those who not only desired to incarcerate us, but who actually succeeded in doing so.

And it is extremely important that you avoid this indignant anger at all costs. Remember, anger is nothing more than crystallized fear – the same fear that made your imprisonment possible in the first place.

So don’t get angry at your ego for tempting you to shy away from Love … Have compassion for its cowardice instead.

Don’t get angry at your parents or religious leaders for filling your head with the myths of “morality” (e.g. that a “good citizen” tows the line & “acts normal”) … Have compassion for their piousness instead.

Don’t get angry at your teachers & professors for preaching to you about “facts” & “truth” (e.g. that you are “only human”, forever bound to a limited understanding of “reality”) … Have compassion for their own ignorance instead.

Don’t get angry at politicians for convincing you that you do not have any real Power to change the world … Have compassion for their deviousness instead.

Have compassion for these folks & forces … and then get out there and Be Kind anyway!

TIP #02: AVOID PASSIVE “POSITIVITY”

It is absolutely crucial to realize, contrary to popular opinion, that the most effective remedy to resignation is NOT “positive thinking”.

Indeed, it has become en vogue to follow “spiritual leaders” who are trying to convince us to “manifest wealth” via positive intentions, “co-create reality” via positive thoughts, &/or “be here now” via positive meditations. These “abundance gurus” will tell you that happiness is yours for the making – that there are enough material riches for everyone to have more than enough – that we all deserve to have everything we desire – that inner stillness will come to those who simply sit Still.

Fair enough … I realize that these promises are incredibly tempting. I also realize that the aforementioned methods can indeed bring short-term “success”.

AND, at least in relation to the attainment of true Peace & lasting Joy, they are all destined to fail.

They fail not because of their delusional nature — which encourages us to ignore the despair we feel & the injustice we witness, nor do they fail due to their patent ineffectiveness — breeding, as they do, a sense of apathy that intensifies the very fear that spawned our hopelessness in the first place.

No, the major issue I take with all such “positivity preachers” is their innate call to increased selfishness – an emotional greed that is the primary root of all our suffering.

Indeed, like the “trickle-down economics” that encourages those who “have” to sit back and watch those who “have not” futilely construct their bridges to prosperity using tinsel beams & table scraps, mere “positive thinking” encourages us to become even more resigned than before – to abandon our aspirations of transcending animalian cruelty & inequity in favor of simply “being happy with what we’ve got”, while encouraging others to capitulate to the same sloth.

The “Law of Attraction” does indeed function, my Friends, and yet your unique region of the Cosmos responds more to what you DO & WHY you are doing it than what you merely think about, wish for or focus upon. Radiate a frequency of “wanting more”, and the Universe will hear your lack — and ultimately send you more of the same. Beam out a frequency of “me first”, and Nature will respond accordingly — by isolating you more & more completely from everyone & everything around you.

Such “wealth” – both of thought & of wallet – is more poverty than prize.

TIP #03: ENGAGE KINDNESS EVERYDAY

Of course, there is another facet of positivity that is ACTIVE in the face of difficulty and Caring in the face of tragedy; a positivity that thereby empowers resolve instead of resignation.

In-deed, positivity only disempowers us as long as we are engaging it mentally &/or for our own personal benefit. Active Kindness (which is the real Positivity) does not support the myth of co-creating a new reality, but rather enhances our ability to interact with our existing one. It is not seeing everything through rose-colored lenses, but rather recognizing life’s shadows realistically, while simultaneously noticing & engaging the opportunities to serve others therein.

To gaze upon a sufferer and tell him to “just be happy” is cold & callous, whereas to gaze upon that same sufferer and offer her the opportunity to change life’s focal point – away from her own pain and towards the relieving of another’s, is fully liberating.

Instead of blindly saying “things aren’t that bad” in the midst of an obvious tragedy, or looking upon a crisis and indignantly saying “things are bad, so I am going to will them towards goodness”, true Positivity looks upon those same situations, calmly accepts them as they are, and then courageously uses them as opportunities for bring others Peace – affirming that “things are indeed painful for me now, which makes everything I do for others in this moment extremely effective”.

In conclusion, there is no more need to believe in the myth of our powerlessness, for our true Power is not tied to physical strength, verbal force or “majority rule”.

From the moment we set forth to live our own lives as adults, we each accrued a legacy of liberty instilled in us at birth – the freedom to choose Kindness over callousness, the freedom to choose Love over fear, the freedom to choose emPowerment over resignation.

Human life is not to be lived like a mountainside expedition; an arduous trek through trial & temptation that may someday reach a pinnacle known as “happiness” or “salvation”. No, my Friends, our lives are much, much more than that. Our existence is not to be judged by its length of duration, by its distance traveled, or even by its pleasures known. Rather, life can only be truly appreciated by the courage with which we have walked its days – however few or many those days might be; however far or abbreviated those paths might lead.

Indeed, it is time for us to remember that we need not walk far at all to reveal our innate potency. Every act of selfless Kindness we engage does more than merely bring us closer to life’s peak …

In-deed, each one of them transports us immediately & directly right to its very Summit.

“Resignation is what kills people. Once they’ve rejected resignation, humans gain the privilege of making humanity their footpath.” ~ Kohta Hirano

“You and I re-create the world using the actions with which we engage it. When we invoke peace by offering it to somebody else, that peace has no choice but to expand — from one to two, from two to four, and gradually to the world at large.” ~ inspired by Sri Chimnoy

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of Truth and Love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it — always.” ~ M. Gandhi

Filed under: Licking the Razor's Edge (freedom from hidden addictions) by Scaughdt