7/2/99
People fear the idea of controlling their own lives, their own destinies, of taking full responsibility for their lives, of understanding what that really means. They guard their fears like a mother bear protecting a newborn cub. Because if they confront their fears there is the possibility that they will realize that they have no one to blame but themselves for who and what they are. And most people do not have the strength to deal with what they could see, especially when they see how alone it makes them to do so. In the process, they will lose grasp of their identities, that which makes them who they think they are, and like being nudged towards the edge of a cliff, that is absolutely terrifying to most people. They will drop to the ground and claw and fight to keep away from that edge and what lies beyond.
Just like so many people look for happiness in all the wrong places, so do they look for truth and explanation in all the wrong places. They look to Jesus, or God, their parents, lovers, ex-spouses, painful experiences and circumstances, food, booze, drugs, sex, “society,” anything and everything for answers and explanations that can only be found within. If you don’t think this is true, then start asking yourself the tough questions; truly and honestly make an effort to identify and confront your own fears; ask yourself “why?” and keep asking after each answer. I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly you give up and find excuses to blame something outside yourself.
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Notes on a Path is an ongoing series of excerpts from my personal notes (1999 – 2003).
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