It’s hard trying to be a good person. We find a philosophy, faith or even a quote on social media that inspires us and we think ‘I’m going to do that, I’m going to be THAT person’. But try as we might something or someone gets in the way. We react instinctively, out of habit and the same old behaviour patterns repeat. We see all the selfishness in the world and feel the need to protect ourselves, closing off our hearts. It feels impossible. Can we ever actually be ‘that’ person or make any kind of difference?
I believe we can. But we must be spiritual warriors: open to learning, understanding, applying the wisdom, failing and trying again, over and over. We set our intentions and do our best, sometimes we have to go back to the drawing board, sometimes we just try again tomorrow, but we never give up. We don’t have to be perfect, we just have to keep trying, and slowly, little bit by little bit, over time, change happens.
We surround ourselves with other spiritual warriors: teachers, writers, mentors, people who uphold the values we aspire to or possess the qualities we are trying to cultivate.
We must keep at the centre of our hearts the belief, faith and knowledge that being a more compassionate, truthful, generous, balanced person is a war worth winning. Not just for us, but for our loved ones, our community, our planet. We must keep trying to move toward the light of awareness, even when it seems no one else is.
Whatever your faith or belief system, this Easter weekend can still teach us how to be a spiritual warrior. It can teach us that it is not the getting knocked down that matters, it’s the rising up.
xL