Your cart is currently empty!
Book Review Pro | Karen Pool
Book Review Pro | Karen Pool
Author : Karen and Stan Pool
Genre : Karen's Books, Nonfiction
There comes a moment when we face the dual nature of our humanity—when the striving for our divine nature against our selfish nature becomes the most intense. Every hero, in the process of development, has to face that inner conflict of deciding what nature he or she will nourish. That confrontation becomes the instant when we stand fast in the face of opposition and hardship and become what our potential suggests we can become, or acquiesce to our baser instincts. Either way it is challenging work.
One of the biggest reasons we obscure our path is that it is such a decisive moment in our progression. We emerge from this conflict either a hero or victim. Our courage or our lack of character defines our eternal existence. In the clarity of this moment, of all the struggles, the dilemmas, the pressures we face, the most significant is this one where we confront the battle centered within us. The gift of divine potential comes from God, but the capacity to realize that comes from us.
It is the most heroic moment to understand and accept the reality of that possibility—the power you have to make that choice. There is no other decision so essential or so courageous.
When we choose to be victims, we assume that our suffering is similar to a black hole, where the gravitational pull is so strong that even light cannot escape. The bigger the trauma, the larger the possibility of being drawn in by the belief that there is nothing we can do.
In reality, there are no black holes in the traumas we experience. We have a choice to be drawn into the vortex. The biggest assumption or mental trap pulls us toward blaming others. Here’s the subtlety of it: “I’m this way because . . . my parents were so screwed up, or too controlling,” or “I was abandoned,” or “I got caught up in drugs, pornography, alcohol, . . .” We rationalize that we are trapped and have no alternative except to lay the fault on other people or circumstances. Most people who accept victim status don’t get to the consequences of their choices or become intellectually honest because telling the truth implies internal rather than external change.
Change requires energy, and may bring up residual pain or fear.To deal with discomfort, we must step forward; we must become accountable. In order to shift, we have to reframe or rewrite our emotional responses to our experiences.
Another trying moment in our journey occurs when we’ve begun a change or growth process that we know is right for us. We begin to plant the seeds of a harvest that we would like to receive. For instance, we began to try to understand what it takes to improve—to leave victimhood behind and begin the hero’s journey of accountability. We plant the seeds of a wonderful future harvest. But some get angry and frustrated when they’re not better or they’re not as good as they want to be immediately.
When we get impatient and angry when they’re not growing fast enough, what are we doing? We subvert the whole process if we turn around and start yelling at the seeds because they’re not growing as fast as we want. Which begs the question, what is it that we want? Do we want to grow or be a victim? Part of us knows we must be accountable and recognize that growth takes time. By complaining, or getting angry, or yelling at the seeds, we allow ourselves to become a victim in the process of growth.
Looking for new reads?
Karen will keep you updated on her favorite books, new reviews and exciting community updates.
