Mustering courage to be yourself

In a world where no-one seems to know what is going to happen next, one of the biggest issues, for both men and women, is the escalation of an inner insecurity. This insecurity manifests in the very unpleasant behaviour of trying to control whatever is happening close to home. It can be trying to control the people around us or situations, but if we look closely, is that really possible? Look at the world, look at our own households – the rapidly rising bills and food prices, or even the weather – we have no control at all. But the one thing we do have control over is ourselves, our own inner world and whatever is going on there.

When I know myself really well, I can have faith and trust in myself. I will be able to go through any situation and also fly above it all and reach my own highest destination. However, very few people really know themselves. It takes great courage and endless patience to really understand the self. Each of us has two sides. One side to my personality may be beautiful, charismatic, and lovely. On the other side, the dark side, maybe there is a bad temper that is hidden away, or a critical fault-finding tendency, which I do not have the courage to express, but it is constantly festering. This will certainly have implications on my physical and mental health. I need to be able to see both sides – the dark as well as the light.

A very interesting exercise to begin the process is to write down what is bright within us and what is dark. The beauty I see within, will help me to see with courage the parts of me that need attention. When I begin to recognise what is within, and have a true desire to make the changes I need to make for a happy and fulfilling life, that is the beginning of a spiritual journey.

My own spiritual journey began based on the experience of being a soul, within the body, and of experiencing the love of God. Everyone is a soul, seated in the centre of the forehead and the soul sparkles once it reawakens to this awareness. In this awareness, it is very easy and natural to feel the presence of the Divine, the Supreme Soul, God.

If one takes the time to look throughout history every religion has spoken of God as light, not a physical light, but a spiritual light who is the source of all goodness and who radiates immense, powerful energy.

All souls look the same, if they were visible to the physical eye; they are concentrated light, in the form of a point. God looks exactly the same. The difference only lies in the qualities, with God’s qualities being supreme. In meditation, in connection with this source of all spiritual light and power, it feels like sunshine washing over me and all my own beautiful, intrinsic, original qualities of goodness and beauty begin to blossom. This inner journey gives me the trust and understanding that there is goodness within me, but of course, I need to remain in this awareness for it to manifest in my life and actions. As soon as I begin this journey, I can say yes, this is what I once was and what I can be again. The courage that comes from this, is from deep in the heart because I want it to be there all the time.

The courage to be yourself means to have the courage to come back to the original beauty of your highest potential – to feel it and see it, and keep moving forward to be able to express and manifest it. That is the journey.

B.K. Jayanti is Additional Administrative Head of the Brahma Kumaris.