Stand Up and Be Counted
In many spiritual beliefs and traditions there is a great deal of emphasis on being, not doing.
We’re cautioned that constant action can keep us from knowing our true selves. The individual cannot connect with their higher self or make a connection to Spirit, while scurrying around, always trying to do, do, and do more, more, and more.
I am not denying that there is some truth in that. However, many people want a package of spiritual beliefs and practices that are all truth. An undeniable truth gives us some illusions of safety, or the illusion that it’s an owner’s manual.
Religions can set goals that we strive for (like that great illusion, perfection). They can provide standards by which we can judge ourselves and others. Too often, spirituality is misused to elevate ourselves by putting others down. Or we may beat ourselves up with it when we need to be a martyr.
We cling to the illusion that it’s possible to be a perfect spiritual being. At the same time, we create a reality in which perfection is an impossible goal within our human form. With that tangled set of beliefs, we don’t have to face the perfection of our individuality and uniqueness.
As individuals, our perfection cannot be judged externally. There are no rule books, doctrines, dogmas, dictates, or creeds by which we can be judged. There are no earthly gurus, saviors, or saints to pass judgment on our individual quests.
If we are lucky, we find guides. They help us each recognize the unique, individual perfection of our being. But one person’s answers may not always be your answers.
No true spiritual teacher will evaluate your worth as an individual. That is way beyond being the perfect Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Pagan, father, mother, lover, child or friend. It goes beyond being the perfect American, straight, gay, or bisexual person. The perfect human being, period.
Instead, this goes into that scary place of being the perfect you and seeing the shame, fear and control of being other than your innately perfect self.
Stripping away the illusions of who you were trained to be, told to be, or molded to be, can be a long and difficult journey. You must recognize the fears that drive you and come to understand why you force yourself to be something other than yourself, seeking a place of safety in doing so. That’s a place where you can get the gold star, whether or not you really want it, and receive the approval of a real or imaginary authority figure.
Many of us have avoided the terrible, horrible, and isolating possibility of being fully who we are. You’ve chosen to conform. Otherwise, you know that others will disapprove and withdraw their support and their love. You’ve been afraid of those who lash out to hurt you because you have betrayed them.
If you stepped into your own truth, you would not be a player in their games. You’d stand up and stand out as a unique and individual human being. You’d step into the light of your own perfection, being exactly who you are.
From that place, you’d no longer need to win at a game that’s not yours, in which you have no control over the rules. It’s a place that others are afraid to step into and they hate themselves for it. But at some point in your life you realize that, for better or for worse, you must fully be yourself.
How do you find your way to that place of truth and light?
You may be guided through teachers, friends, or sacred texts. In a way, finding yourself can be like a jigsaw puzzle. You may find some of your pieces through bubble gum romances, dime store detective novels, or watching Star Trek episodes and Monty Python movies. Some of those places will have big pieces for you. Others contain just those little pieces that make everything fit.
But you will not find all your answers in any one sacred text or single belief system. No guru or external human perspective can tell you your “right way of being”. Their personal path leads to their version of enlightenment or spiritual nirvana, not necessarily yours.
With that in mind, let’s go back to the concept of being and doing which I described at the beginning of this piece. Just being or just doing are equally poor choices. You won’t stand out. You’ll fit in with the status quo and avoid your own truth. It may seem a safe choice, but that’s not the answer.
Balance is key. Learn how to do as an extension of being who you are. Sometimes I refer to this as “active being.”
As you are actively being, you’ll receive guidance towards what you need to do based on who you are.
By doing this, you’ll bring into the world the greatest gift you can bring to the world- you. Everything you do or accomplish, simply by the radical act of being you, makes the world a better place.
