It is okay to approach courage slowly.
Not every obstacle is meant to be smashed through headfirst.
Sometimes we have to take small steps of bravery toward that which we fear but must overcome.
By Robert Van Valkenburgh
Tag: courage
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Wisdom in Fear
Fear is a deceptive emotion.
Sometimes our fear is our ego’s barrier between where we are and where we should be going, telling us exactly that which we should pursue by acting in spite of our fear.
Other times, our fear is a warning sign telling us to take another path in order to avoid imminent danger.
Both manifestations may feel exactly the same.
Wisdom is knowing the difference and acting accordingly.
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Attention To The Shadows
Fear attaches itself to us.
It seeps into the cracks and crevices of our wounded souls and makes itself at home.
Like a parasite, it feeds off of our life-force.
By separating us from God and our fellows, fear traps us in isolation.
It envelopes us, weighs us down, and suffocates us from the inside out.
We cannot run away from our fear.
Nor can we power through it.
The only way to overcome fear is to sit with it, face it, and make friends with it.
By becoming intimate with fear and the parts of ourselves within which it finds a home, we take away fear’s power.
We can never be rid of fear altogether because there will always be some vulnerability in our spirit or psyche to which fear will find a way to attach itself.
If we allow it to, however, fear can actually guide us to these places within ourselves to which we may have otherwise remained strangers.
Fear is like a beacon. calling attention to the shadows of our souls.
For this reason, we should be thankful for our fears because, without fear to force our growth, our lives would be very shallow indeed.
‘Attention To The Shadows’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh
HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
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A Generous World
If we want to live in a generous world, we must live generously ourselves.
This does not necessarily mean giving more than what we have or are capable of giving.
It simply means that we should give what we can to others with regards to our time, attention, and goodwill.
We must be willing to do this for its own sake, on faith if you will.
For there are no assurances that our generosity will be reciprocated.
If we think, act, and live selfishly, however, we can all but guarantee that the world around us will behave in kind.
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Freedom From Fear
Our fears can come true even if we hide from them.
Whether we face our fears with courage or we do our best to ignore, deny, or run away from them, they still may manifest.
What value, then, is there in hiding from our fears?
Hiding does not actually make that which we fear go away.
It only makes our lives smaller, not that which we fear.
That which we fear remains until we face it.
Facing our fears is the only way to make them go away.
It is not guaranteed to do so, but not facing them guarantees that they remain.
There is risk either way, but only the choice to face and overcome our fears offers us the possibility of freedom.
Meditations on God 