Are you willing to go through the dark side?
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All of us STAR WARS fans are counting down the days until December 18 and the release of The Force Awakens. We will glimpse into the dark side with baited breath in hopes that Yoda’s wisdom and use of ‘The Force’ will prevail. It’s Hollywood, I’m sure it will. And if not, they’ll keep us waiting until the next go around for our entertainment and their own job security. But what about real life? This is real life, isn’t it?
So many of us go through our lives without ever looking inside and without ever contemplating whether we’re doing the “right” thing. Most of us aren’t willing to look closely at our behavior to see how we fit into society. How did we get to where we are? Do we like ourselves? Is there anything we can change? Are we serving the needs of others or simply our own? As Louis C.K. said, are we “non-contributing zeros” or do we actually have a positive impact on the world?
There comes a time in everyone’s life when you’re forced to look within. You may choose to look at those deep dark secrets and deal with them or you may decide, like many people, that’s not the path for you. You may decide to live the unexamined life and choose the superficial level with the gossip columnists. I’m not one to judge, so I’ll leave it to Socrates who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Pretty harsh words from history, but more importantly is the fact that there really is a rainbow on the other side of pain.
Whether you were abused as a child, had abusive parents, or just didn’t learn proper coping skills, it’s time to walk through the fire. If you find that you cannot fulfill your dreams and desires today, most likely, there is something going on inside preventing you from your full potential. There is no time like the present to look inside. I spent years in therapy, reading self-help books, figuring out why I behaved the way I did. I created a toolbox of coping skills that continue to help me today. Mindfulness, yoga, exercise, better communication, righting my wrongs as soon as possible. Simple things like going to the movies or taking a walk on the beach. All of these things help me today.
Many of us have issues that go unattended. That relationship we haven’t quite closed the door on or the apology that we know we need to make. The confrontation of that none of us like to make or the dreams we gave up on. These are small examples of things that hold us back. Remember action cures fear. The quickest way out of these circumstances is through them.
Sometimes we need to go through the pain alone. We need to sit with our own actions, our own thoughts, body, self-image and submerge ourselves in the anguish, sadness, and depression. Sometimes we need company, support and love to get through the dark times. There is a light at the end of that tunnel and there are only benefits on the other side. We build character, we become stronger, we get to help others go through similar circumstances and ultimately we become a better society. So, don’t live in fear, pull out your virtual light saber, cut through it and watch it disappear in front of your eyes.
Photo Credit: TeddyMcDonald.com