Living with courage is the beginning of many freedoms and offers avenues for growth, understanding, and revitalized strength. Courage creates a willingness to try new experiences. With courage, we gain the capacity to look within honestly and face fears and character defects. We begin to take responsibility for ourselves and accept accountability for our actions, rather than blaming parents or society.
Many of us have been told that we are not good enough, or that we have sinned. Looking into our inner being might be frightening. When I started meditation practice, I was afraid of finding the demon inside me. So, whenever I progressed with my meditation, I sabotaged it due to fear. This continued until I learned that within the core of our being resides the Divine.
The Upanishads (some of the sacred Hindu texts) refer to the heart center, where the Divine resides, as a lotus. The lotus flower opens when light shines and closes when light diminishes. The stem of the lotus is always rooted and provides energy in light and darkness. Similarly, within each of us is the energy of the Divine. Without it we would not be alive. I like to think of our heart center as a lotus with a pilot light—the protected flame on gas stoves that remains lit, so one can ignite other burners, if needed. Whether we are a saint or sinner, the light of the Divine is continually present and active inside each of us. It is the core of our being. So, we need not fear looking into ourselves, because we will find only Divine light. Like the sun, it is always shining, even on overcast days. We may have covered our Divine with “clouds” of doubt or misunderstanding. These can be dispersed.
It takes courage to look at ourselves. Often when we look within, we do not wish to see the truth. When confronted with the reality of our unkind or harmful behaviors, we react with defensive pride and anger to protect our egos, or we feel guilt and shame. As we gain wisdom, we see it is easier for us to accept our humanity and our faults than it is for us to acknowledge our own light. Marianne Williamson states it perfectly: “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”
Courage brings inner confidence and personal power. It is not dependent on an outside force. It is not dependent on others’ opinion or approval. Choosing integrity and honesty rewards us with an inner freedom. Our inner Self, our Spirit knows the truth. When we do not acknowledge the truth of our Spirit, we can be drawn into the collective consciousness of our society for validation.
The quest for validation may take us into false concepts and beliefs that are proselytized by a segment of society. These can lead us into prejudice and intolerance even though the core of our being is always fighting against such beliefs, setting up a conflict in our being. To ease our discomfort, we might look to society, friends, and family who hold these same untrue beliefs. But if we do not follow the truth, a nagging uneasiness remains within us. This disquiet leads to feelings that jar our health and well-being: pride, greed, stress, rage, and depression. Breaking free from a social untruth requires extreme courage; one may find the consequences too distressing. So, we seek those with an understanding of truth for guidance and support.
We also need courage to challenge our worries, our self-doubts, and the fear of failure. Courage does not mean absence of fear; rather, the willingness to confront it. Once accomplished, we gain hidden strengths and fortitude. Strong intention coupled with determination can bring wonderful success. Most importantly it increases self-esteem and confidence.
When we gain a little courage, we are capable of reflection concerning the inner workings of our consciousness. Self-inquiry requires the mind and heart muscle to look at our limitations and accept them without judgment. This will begin to give us inner resources to strive for honesty and integrity and lead to discernment between truth and illusion. Inner confidence brings renewed vigor to achieve what we set out to do.
It takes courage to accept that we need Spirit for our strength. Bill Wilson and Bob Smith realized that they could not conquer alcoholism by themselves: “Surrendering to a higher power” was required. Their 12-step program is very successful not only treating alcoholism, but also other addictions. We need to accept that without Spirit we are powerless.
When we surrender the ego and ask for Divine Grace and courage, we activate that pilot light of Divine energy in our hearts. We begin to embrace our inner power. Our life’s purpose comes into view. The alignment with integrity through Grace brings acceptance of character defects. They are seen as challenges for self-improvement rather than excuses, blame, or resentment. A realistic look at limitations will develop into compassion and tolerance.
Courage, then, is the willful act of deciding to live with inner honesty and integrity, no matter the obstacles. Courage opens the way.
