Etymology of Courage:
Origin = Middle English (denoting the heart, as the seat of feelings): from Old French corage, from Latin cor ‘heart.’
Definition of Courage:
The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
If there is one thing I have learned during this trek of the past 6 months, it is that truth is relative and, therefore, mutable on both a societal and individual basis.
Furthermore: Personal ‘truths’ are essentially inextricable from one’s beliefs.
A long time ago I learned that it is a pointless and completely futile exercise to attempt to convince or otherwise convert anyone to my (or any) system of beliefs. I learned that just because something had become true for me, it didn’t mean that it must be true for anyone else. …Bob H exemplifies this and it is from him that I learned this important lesson while studying ACIM (Thank you, Bob–I love ya, man).
Truths and beliefs are relative to both individuals and collectives. Each and every human being is entitled to have their unique life experience, which results in large part from the beliefs they hold and the ‘truths’ by which they operate and function in their daily lives.
What is true for one individual may be entirely untrue for another. And that is okay. Neither is right or wrong.
Ponder that: neither is right or wrong. –Because, indeed, truth is as relative as is reality. …Well, at least that is what I have come to believe as true based on my ‘reality’.
Hmmmm…
If anyone ever says to you, “you need to come back to reality”. Ask them where or what reality is. When attempting to define or describe ‘reality’, they can only answer that question by expressing their beliefs (i.e., what is true for them).
Again: think about it. If individual and collective beliefs are mutable (and they obviously do change) then so the collective ‘reality’ can change. …It follows that what we believe as the collective becomes true.
Have you ever changed your beliefs about something? About something really, REALLY, immense?
I have.
I was born and raised in the era of Red Dawn (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/ ) – a time in the middle of ‘time’ when we were conditioned and taught as a nation to fear the Soviets. In fact, we were taught and conditioned to fight and eradicate the Soviets because our ‘govern-ment’ (research the Etymology of that word) told us that the Soviets were bad and out to kill us via nuclear holocaust.
Having lived in the Soviet Union during both the Reagan and Bush administrations, and having traveled both Moscow and the countryside while there, I, for one, can say that I never met a Russian who didn’t LOVE Americans—I NEVER, EVER met a Russian or Soviet who sought to bring ill will against me or my country. In fact, they LOVE Americans and are among THE MOST hospitable, friendly and loving folks I’ve ever encountered in my worldly travels. Them and the Greeks 🙂 …The French, well, not so much…
Point being: I held a truth that I was conditioned to believe: “the Soviets/Russians are out to get us, so let’s build more bombs!” Turns out, (in my experience) they mostly wanted to be friends and celebrate life together.
This got me to thinking…
What would happen if the people of the world got together withOUT the ‘govern-ments’ being involved? What would actually transpire if and when everyday common folk could commune and convene withOUT ‘govern-ment’ telling us how or why we should feel divisive or fearful toward each other?
Answer = WORLD PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes! –it’d be one big giant global LOVE fest, which is what ‘govern-ment’ fears THE most.
Why does ‘govern-ment’ fear this? …Because it would mean they no longer have purpose. Without purpose they have no existence. Much like the individual human ego, ‘govern-ment’ is the macro of the micro. It is the collective nation-state ego-mind, which cannot exist without the polarity of dualism. In fact—it may ONLY exist as a ‘ruling authority’ to the extent that folks (i.e., the masses) are unable to self-regulate and/or unwittingly give up their power to a perceived authority because said ‘authority’ has convinced society that the greater society needs to be ruled!
Is this microphone on…hello?…’checking, checking one, two’…
Listen to me folks: WHEN WE LEARN THE TRUTH THAT WE CAN CO-EXIST IN PEACE ON AN INTRA AND INTER-NATIONAL BASIS, THEN WE NO LONGER NEED A RULING OLIGARCHY TO GOVERN THE AFFAIRS, ECONOMIES, EDUCATION AND POLITICS OF WE, THE PEOPLE, OF THIS PLANET! –And we ARE a species of this planet, not a nationality(ies) that exist separate from each other on the life-giving Gaia Sophia Mother Earth upon which we live. We are humans being—so let us be free in truth!
…’Check, Check…one, two’…is this thing on?
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth!” –Henry David Thoreau
I recently read something that really resonated with me:
“The time has come for all serious students of truth to move into their power as awakened spiritual beings, while at the same time moving courageously through whatever remnants of the ‘old’ may still operate in or affect them. …As an individual evolves into new and higher ways of resolving karmic issues and remaining lesson, he no longer needs the intense problems, accidents, and difficulties previously required for awakening. Most of you are there now. On earth there will always be difficulties of some sort, whether your’s or another’s, but now you have new, higher and guided tools with which to resolve them”.
For me, this trek has been a period of resolution and personal renaissance. I have learned that one is to undertake such a mission only for one’s self; that one is most foolish to expect any amount of validation or commendation in pursuing one’s truth. …That one cannot expect anyone else to be transformed through vicarious epiphany and, therefore, not to expect anyone else to discover a ‘truth’ which can, in the final analysis, be only true for me within my unique reality.
Whereas I cannot speak for Logan, I feel that he might echo this sentiment. Perhaps he found his truth on this journey, in that ‘the’ truth remains both illusive and relative, by nature. …And so it is…
On April 18, in Lewes, DE, as Kathryn, Oliver and I watched Logan actually start walking from the vehicle toward the embarkation point of no return, I had a moment of reckoning: We’d either pull this off or fail in our gallant attempt.
Due in the largest part to Logan’s valiant and courageous pursuit, indeed and in deed, we succeeded. It took a lot of courage– a true lion heart– for Logan to traverse this great nation by foot and bicycle, over 4000 miles, through thick and thin in order to bring light to serious matters affecting humanity.
One week ago to this day, on Saturday, October 2 at ~ 1pm PST, Logan reached the Pacific Ocean to conclude the cycling portion of this trek (a bit more than 3000 miles of cycling, after hiking more than 1100 miles at the onset). In total, he logged more than 4400 miles via walking and biking in the past six months. …For this courageous endeavor I applaud and congratulate him—job well done, my brother! 🙂
Mind you, though, that both you and I did this for non-other than ourselves –for the relative truth we seek in an otherwise deceptive world of illusion- that of the polarity and separated mind which would prefer us to believe that peace on this earth and for her children is not possible in our lifetime.
‘Nay’, we say as dissidents! For it CAN be and IS so the truth that humanity may be united in love.
Today, this 10th day of October, 2015, we reunite to conclude the final mile. We meet at ~2pm EST, whereupon Logan bikes from Chelsea, Indiana to Jeffersonville, thereupon for us and whatever entourage might join us, to walk to the foot bridge from Indiana to Kentucky where Logan set off on July 31.
Today we conclude chapter 1 of The Trek For Truth, having written this chapter o’er the past six months since April 18, to discover our truth and speak fearlessly about the issues plaguing an otherwise peace-loving and peace-seeking humanity. One which has been subverted and subjugated by a ‘govern-mental authority’ that would rather have us believe that we are at war with one another (in whatever form ‘it’ may assume).
No. No More! The veiled is being lifted. So let the apocalypse reign in the rain of cleansing. If anything, we—and ALL of the trail angel humans being who Logan encountered along this trek—are proof that humanity is redeemed and transcendent of the powers that were. It is time for healing; it is time for peace, in all forms, for all.
Let us, then, go forth in our en-lightened and sovereign power to re-claim peace and love for a united humanity.
Please stay tuned for chapter two, for we know not where this trek leads from here…only that we know we are led to speak our truth and do all we can to restore integrity to the human condition.
In so many ways, it feels that this journey has only just begun… Let us all be courageous as we endeavor to persevere.
“Fortunately, some are born with spiritual immune systems that sooner or later give rejection to the illusory worldview grafted upon them from birth through social conditioning. They begin sensing that something is amiss, and start looking for answers. Inner knowledge and anomalous outer experiences show them a side ot reality others are oblivious to, and so beings their journey of awakening. Each step of the journey is made by following the heart instead of following the crowd and by choosing knowledge over the veils of ignorance.” — Henri Bergson
Our peace be with you always in all ways,
-Drew