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Today's
Meditation:
"Independent"
doesn't just mean to be on our own. It also means
keeping our peace of mind and individuality even in the
midst of a crowd, even when facing criticism or
judgment. The truly independent person isn't going
to be swayed by the thoughts or the actions of the
crowd. This person is going to stay cheerful when
others are stressed, stay calm when others are up in arms,
and remain peaceful when others are tossed about by
storms. This person recognizes her or his intrinsic
value, and lives and swears by it.
As
Emerson said, we'll always find others who know how we
should be living our lives, and we face their ire when we
say, "No thanks. I'm fine just as I
am." When we don't want to buy into their drama
or their worldview, they often try to bring us down
because they feel rejected and they want us to hurt the
way they feel hurt. But our main task here on earth
is not to fit in, and not to try to be like everyone else;
nor is it to try to avoid the anger of others simply for
being who we are.
We
learn very early to "fit in." When our
friends chose to do something stupid, we very often went
along with it even though we knew it was stupid.
After all, we didn't want them to be mad at us.
Unfortunately, this is a tendency that sticks with many of
us all the way through our lives, and one of the most
important tasks we can undertake is to reclaim our
independence and make our choices based on what we know is
right and what we truly want to do, rather than on what
others want or expect us to do.
My
independence is a great gift, but only if I take full
advantage of it to become my own person. And when I
celebrate and exercise that independence, I'm becoming the
person I was meant to be rather than the person that
others expect me to be. And there really aren't too
many things in life more important than taking full
advantage of the amazing gifts that we've been given, so
let's be ourselves and make our decisions independent of
the expectations and judgments of others. We'll
contribute a whole lot more to the world when we do so.
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