Journey of ourselves

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So you have probably come across this quote before by Marianne Williamson. If you are an Outward Bounder you have probably read it to your students - at least your co-instructor did. I love this quote and I hate this quote at the same time (mostly since I think it gets overplayed and used out of context with little to no explanation or discussion - I am guilty of using it that way for sure). I think the last time (a couple of years ago) I heard it, I was over it. However, very recently I heard it read by someone and it sparked me to ponder it again. In context with this blog I present it as a foundation on which to begin documenting the meaning behind elevate and how I act or not act to do so both for myself and others. The interplay between Williamson's quote and the Annie Dillard's quote at the bottom of this page urges us to find, embrace, recognize both the light and dark of our nature. Dillard suggests that we must go down into the dark places of ourselves in order to find that which cradles us all together. Williamson suggests that on an individual level we fear the reality that we may actually be good; we fear that we are worthy and in doing so we fail to elevate ourselves and in doing so we fail to elevate others. The author, educator and activist Parker Palmer suggests that many leaders over-project an extroverted personality which makes the darkness hard to see. He says "when we are insecure about our identities, we create settings that deprive other people of their identities as a way of buttressing our own." Humm...Going back Williamson reminds us that there is no service in pushing ourselves down and falling back so that others "won't feel insecure around you".

There is a balance here I think. How do we elevate and hold ourselves up while doing the same for others. Is it in a AND world not a BUT world approach? Is it in our affirmation and celebration of both our identity and that of others? If so, what does that look like? Feel like? Taste like? Smell like? Sound like? I am not sure but this log will explore some and perhaps none of it - it's okay to miss the mark - let's give ourselves permission to do that. When the trail become unclear or just simply disappears, you're still there moving onward, even though you may end up doubling back on yourself in the end. Okay now I am just rambling...I am going to let you all weigh in on this one. What do you think?