One week ago, I interviewed for a job–and a revolution began–inside. (Either that or I ate some bad chicken wings.)
revolution |ˌrevəˈloō sh ən|
noun
1 a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system; uprising.
• a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people’s ideas about it
Finally, the long-held tyranny of a demanding dictator was toppled–inside.
tyranny |ˈtirənē|
noun
cruel and oppressive government or rule: the removal of the regime may be the end of a tyranny.
•rule by one who has absolute power without legal right.
It was a bloody and painful revolution–inside.
I wish that it were enacted more peaceably, but alas, the tyranny was so much a part of the system that it was numb–until it could no longer bear to be. Unfortunately, this sudden coup left a vacuum of power, making the system more susceptible to another takeover.
Had it been intentionally carried out, plans would have been made for transition. A new governing body would have been installed–one which represented the best intentions of the whole–enacted with compassion and courage.
courage |ˈkərij|
noun
the ability to do something that frightens one;
• strength in the face of pain or grief.
PHRASES
have the courage of one’s convictions; act on one’s beliefs despite danger or disapproval.
The word Courage comes from the Latin “cor” meaning “heart.” Despite the tyranny of the mind and its troubled past, “heart” had always been nurtured within this system. “Heart” is what made it possible to endure the dictator and to imagine something else was possible–inside.
imagination |iˌmajəˈnā sh ən|
noun
the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses;
• the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful;
The word imagination comes from the Latin “imaginari” which means “picture to oneself.”
I have long “pictured myself” in softer, more colorful hues; and I have learned that this is not a state of doing, but one of being–in alignment with body, mind and soul.
Given the current revolution, I have an opportunity to allow the old way to decay, to fall from the vine, providing room for the new way to flourish–-inside.
flourish |ˈfləri sh |
verb
1 grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, esp. as the result of a particularly favorable environment : wild plants flourish on the banks of the lake.
• develop rapidly and successfully : the organization has continued to flourish.
• to be working or at the height of one’s career during a specified period;
2 to attract the attention of others.
The verb flourish comes from the Latin “flor” meaning flower; and at one time. flourish meant to adorn, as with flowers, in order to attract the attention of others. That meaning has become obsolete, replaced by the idea of flowering from the–inside.
This brings some new thought to mind: Rather than replace the old tyrant with a new ruler, perhaps I could employ another use of the word revolution– from the Latin, “revolvere,” meaning to “roll back.”
revolution |ˌrevəˈloō sh ən|
noun
2 an instance of revolving;
• motion in orbit or a circular course or around an axis or center.
The truest revolutionary act may be to “revolve” around my own center, living my life more fully from the–inside.
Kelly Salasin, 2010
(To read the previous post on the Life Purpose Path, click this link: Great Expectations. Or the ensuing post:Sweet Surrender. To find out more about the path, click here.)
Two Owls Calling 