Being average makes us complacent, urging us to cling to the familiar, safe, and easy to maintain. Yet, it’s a trap that stops us from unlocking our full potential. We find it hard to support anyone not open and self-aware. We might address superficial issues, but the deeper ones demand intense personal work. Because facing oneself proves harder than seeking external validation and recognition.
Our conditioning leans towards resolving conflicts rather than fostering healthy relationships, leading many to sidestep disagreements. However, these conflicts are escalating daily in our external world. Life can cast us as players on a stage, prompting us to choose sides or dodge conflicts rather than tackling their root causes.
The recent focus on positivity versus negativity overlooks the essence of being human and creates more division. This perspective, unfortunately shared with AI, labels emotions like fear, anger, and anxiety as “bad,” promoting suppression. But we’re not actors in a fantasy or fairy tale.
Our ability to feel and question deeply exists for a reason, yet fear of discord keeps much unexpressed, generating trauma and illness. Enduring silence and complacency stems from societal conditioning, offering no virtue in ignoring what’s truly healthy for us.
Opening a pantry or a fridge, we distinguish real food from processed, yet many ignore the foods harming us. Similarly, exploring our inner selves demands courage and curiosity. Moving beyond seeking external validation allows us to live authentically, acknowledging our truths over superficiality. It’s a question of what truly feeds our health and wellbeing.
Embracing reality, expressing ourselves without suppression, and recognizing our actions’ impacts signify healthy choices. And it involves practice and shifts in relationships but ultimately leads to balance. Recognizing life’s natural cycles, including the mix of rain, snow, and sunshine, guides us in navigating life’s challenges by also seeing the opportunities. The sun made “hide” behind the clouds but always shows up in full force.
Trusting life’s natural flow unlocks healing, beyond being average, prompting self-reflection: Do we settle for mediocrity and external validation, or do we free ourselves to truly thrive and love deeply?
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Joe Brewer shared this yesterday from Colombia. It is meaningful beyond any selfie, as it comes at a time we need connection to ourselves and the land: “More than two years ago, I was dreaming of water flowing into the land with forest growing all around. These water retention ponds are now covered with bushes and trees. They have held up well during the last three months without rain. A native forest is coming into being. We must dream first that which comes later. Then we must devote ourselves to tending for long periods of time as the dream emerges.”