October 15, 2001
Have
I Grown Or Just Look Different?
Inside you is untapped strength of will, of spirit, of heart. The kind of strength that will not flinch in the face of adversity. You have only to remember your purpose, the vision that brought you to Earth—the vision that will take you to the stars – to the depths of the oceans and up the stairway to the soul. Great strength of will resides within you, waiting for expression.
Everyday
Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways To Personal Growth by Dan Millman
This past week Matt Lauer from The
Today Show commented to Tim Russert, “I don’t want to sound
condescending, but I cannot believe how much President Bush has grown since
September 11th.” Later
in the week, MSNBC held an online interview with Tim Russert that started with
the following exchange. MSNBC: Tim,
if you listen to a lot of political analysts and critics of this president prior
to the tragedy this country suffered, this wasn’t supposed to have been this
president’s forte. Yet he seemed to have proved them wrong in the East Room
Thursday night. What’s your assessment? Tim
Russert: A close advisor to George W. Bush said Thursday night that the
worse things get, the better George Bush seems to get. He clearly is a man on a
mission, there’s no doubt about it.
After hearing Lauer’s comment
Jan and I began t discuss whether events such as these really stimulate growth,
or are there qualities that lie within each of us that others don’t recognize
until they are more open to see them. As
I write this message, I have to admit that there does not seem to be a clear
answer. This leads me to believe that what we are witnessing is a combination of
personal growth and former critics looking beyond political bias due to a shift
in their paradigm.
When I read Millman’s quote,
it could have been written about the world events that continue to play out on
television each day. Not only could
this have been written about our President, but of the leaders of both political
parties and of world leaders such as Prime Minister Blair.
This innate strength of will is not limited to the more public figures,
but has been well documented to have resided in the heroes of Flight 93 and many
others who were ordinary folks until circumstances awakened extraordinary
qualities.
On the other hand, the political
paradigm of the United States shifted, if only temporarily, last month and
allowed us to view things differently. Also,
I have listened to friends and relatives reflecting on the many everyday heroes
of the tragedy telling anecdotes that hint that they should have seen certain
qualities that obviously were there, but never detected until now.
The lesson here is that we all
have potential that we may never find unless, God forbid, they are exposed in
major distress. It has been easy
for our leaders to become passionate about the task at hand and find their
potential for greatness. It is more
difficult for each of us to identify our everyday passions and discover our own
strength of will that lies in each of us just waiting to be called into action.
So if you cannot answer the question, what is your passion, you best
reflect on that if you want to experience your full or true potential.
On the other side of this
equation, it is impossible for us to be true to ourselves and then try to
control how others view us. What we
can learn about perceptions that have changed is the need to be open about the
people we live, meet and work with. What
a difference it would make if we could find a common ground with those who we
derive frustration from in our daily lives.
The image we have of others can change as quickly as we are willing to
change our view of them.
Thus, it is my belief that what
is playing out before us is a phenomenon that has happened each day before
September 11th and will continue to happen throughout time: the
awakening of the soul to qualities and abilities that allow us to “grow” in
our daily lives and our soul connecting with other souls in such a way that
political, religious and social differences are rendered moot. It is this
combination that allows us to know ourselves, become enlightened and to know
God.
With respect, acceptance, and love,
Richard
©
Richard D. Olson and Awaken The Soul, 2001; Edited by Janice E. Olson
Everyday
Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways To Personal Growth by
Dan Millman; Copyright 1998; Warner Books, Inc.