Seeing Yourself in a Better Light
I have a
belief that goes like this, “The way you see the world, is actually the way you
are seeing yourself.”
People who
see the world as a beautiful place tend to feel the same way about themselves.
While those who think that the world is ugly and sad, have most likely felt this way
about themselves first.
My belief on
this matter leads me to conclude that if we want to see the world in a better
light, we have to see ourselves that way first.
At first
glance this observation may seem like one of my random thoughts; the ones on my
bucket list of research questions.
But this is a
big one. It’s where psychology meets sociology; where the self meets the
collective and the “I” becomes the “We.”
The big
question becomes this, “How do we see ourselves in a better light?
How do you
begin to believe that you are a beautiful being, divinely made for a divine
purpose?
Too deep?
Okay, then
how do you begin to see yourself as a good person deserving of a better life?
I’d like you
to begin the work of stripping away. Strip away the trappings of life. Pull
back the stuff that you don’t just have; it has you and you are beholden to it.
Then pull
back the layers of wants (you know, the things we confuse as needs.)
I’d like you
to reevaluate your belief that you are not worthy, not good enough, not saved
enough, not beautiful.
You are not the car you drive, the house you live in, the
family you’ve come from, your religion or your job. You are light.
We are all connected and related. I don’t need to diminish
you to feel better about me.
When you shine, I glow.
When I love my work, my family, my community and everyone I
encounter, I become more beautiful---and so does the world.
That’s it. It sounds really simple, but I’m coming to see
that as I take responsibility for my own
missteps and mistakes, I can see that
I am human and prone to them. For this, the angels are envious.
As I recognize the humanity of even my shortcomings, I can see the
humanity of others. And then I know, that we are all connected.
Be well, be you, be seeing.
Bertice Berry, PhD.
No comments:
Post a Comment