Sometimes we joy-warriors have to bite our tongues. To give voice to some of our thoughts and observations would go against our creed. Nevertheless, I must confess that we are not immune to the atmosphere of the times; we have our hours of darkness, too.
It’s impossible not to see the destructive forces at play in the world, not to see the confusion, the conflict, and the suffering they produce. But it’s not impossible to withstand them. The key is to realize that to fall into misery yourself is to feed them, to become their victim.
Once you grasp that, you instantly transcend their assault. You take from them all their power. You claim your right to feel joy, to be grateful for life whatever it brings. And you always have that choice. It’s always there. You can give in or stand up. And however much effort it takes to stand, once you choose to do so, to defy the temptation to surrender, you will immediately know that you have won.
It’s a very freeing thing to claim your human dignity. Even if tears of compassion and grief flow from your eyes like rivers as you stand, once you stand, you are free. You are free to embrace life, just as you find it, and to look beyond the flotsam of the darkness to the broad and shining sea of possibilities that is life itself. You’re free to hope, and to trust. You’re free to laugh, even if it’s a laugh of defiance. You’re free to dance and to sing, and to be kind and brave and strong.
And you can be all these things no matter how confining your circumstances. Freedom is a choice, a expression of will, a determination not to bow to self-pity.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t feel sadness or sorrow. It just means you will not allow them to overwhelm you. You give them an appropriate space. You limit their expression to an appropriate time.
Nor does it mean you can’t feel anger at the injustices of life. But anger, too, must be bridled by self-control, used as a fuel to right what wrongs it is within your power to correct–efficiently, and intelligently.
No matter how painful any circumstance may be, every moment also contains its beauty and its goodness. It’s simply a matter of broadening your vision, of seeing things from a higher view.
Discouragement is alluring. It’s a tool of the darkness that aims to pull you into despair. Remember the key; choose not to feed it. Resolve to claim your power to be free.
Much warmth,
Susan
Much warmth,
Susan
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay