| No one wants to be a coward, so if we know what | | | | tendencies head on, and this means acknowledging |
| it takes to be a coward, perhaps we can avoid | | | | them. If we can't admit them or if we actually enjoy |
| becoming one! | | | | our subtle, controlling, manipulative ways, no self-help |
| When we read books or articles on how we can | | | | book in the world will help, and even worse; if we |
| improve, or self-help books that tell us how we can | | | | are the type that feels we need no help at all, well . . |
| help ourselves, we are in a twilight zone of | | | | . then we are probably beyond help. In that case, we |
| assumptions and speculation. To get real, all we need | | | | must learn the hard lessons on our own; the lesons |
| to do is look at ourselves - what we are doing now | | | | that our karma will churn out |
| and how we were acting yesterday - this is where | | | | Authentic freedom is never freedom from; it is |
| we learn. When we look away from what we really | | | | always just . . . freedom. Freedom is a state of mind |
| are, it is because admitting what we really are is too | | | | - boundless and uninhibited - the mind of a hero. The |
| painful. Instead, we lose ourselves in books and | | | | mind of a coward is suspicious and fearful all the |
| imaginations of what we should be, then, instead of | | | | time; fearful of new ideas, different thoughts and |
| seeing and facing our cowardice, we imagine | | | | anything that disturbs its delusions. |
| ourselves as heroes. The problem with this is that | | | | Authentic freedom, on the other hand, is a release |
| until we see and acknowledge our cowardice, it will | | | | from all of this. Authentic freedom is the opposite of |
| not change. So the first step in avoiding cowardice is | | | | attempting to keep things from changing, because |
| seeing it. | | | | things do in fact change regardless of our most |
| How we conduct ourselves in relationship with others | | | | committed attempts to keep things the same. |
| indicates our state of mind. If we come from a | | | | Conservatism, if looked at closely, is filled with fear - |
| controlling place where everything has to be our | | | | the fear of change. For a moment, think about what |
| way, we are displaying our cowardice because while | | | | it is that we are fearful of. Why do we constantly |
| cowards hide behind their concepts and hypothesis, | | | | pick up one self-help book after another, and they |
| heroes have their eyes wide open at all times for | | | | never help for long? It's because we never get to |
| new possibilities. When we hide behind beliefs and | | | | the root of our problems. |
| theories at the expense of seeing what is happening | | | | If we study ourselves in depth, which is a form of |
| at this very moment, or what is real, we display our | | | | meditation, we would quickly discover what it is that |
| fears. If our beliefs foster guilt, repression, fear, | | | | we are fearful of; which is simply not being happy. |
| hatred, separation, sectarianism, and judgementalism | | | | But instead of exploring our unhappiness and fear, |
| rather than creating love, compassion, forgiveness, | | | | we attempt to become free from fear . . . and |
| and true generosity, and if this is what we are | | | | embrace happiness. This doesn't work. Only in the " |
| teaching our children by our actions; then we will lose | | | | seeing" of our fear and our unhappiness, followed by |
| our children, as well as our own souls. | | | | the acceptance of our fear and unhappiness, offers |
| We remain hostage to fear when we hide from | | | | the possibility of transcending both. |
| anything, especially our deep psychological tendencies | | | | For it's only when we stop trying to cultivate bravery |
| that we have cultivated over a lifetime. In order to | | | | and reject cowardice, and instead accept what we |
| become free from these tendencies and become | | | | are in every moment, fully and unabashedly, does the |
| what all of these self-help books suggest, we must | | | | possibility exist of changing ourselves fundamentally. |
| find a general freedom; this is the bottom line. To | | | | And therein lies the possibility of freedom. |
| become free, however, involves facing our | | | | |