Quote of the Week

“[I] can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.” Morpheus (The Matrix)

One of my favorite quotes of all time. This quote is (in my opinion) a statement of responsibility. Over the course of our lives we have many teachers who appear to us in many forms, parents, school teachers, spiritual guides, friends, etc. Most of them try their hardest to relay to us messages that on some level we have been asking for. Often I have realized that teachers are challenged to give their students information they don’t like or want to hear, even when the students know it’s valid and applicable to their lives and wellbeing.

Often when things are difficult for us we try avoid those things that cause us discomfort. The bill collectors, calling for the money we don’t think we are able to pay them, the significant other making demands we don’t feel we can fulfill, the expectations others and we have for ourselves that seem too grand to measure up to. I have seen time and time again where people (myself, first and foremost) have tried to avoid things they thought they wouldn’t be able to handle. We often, unknowingly, try our best to avoid that, which could give us the most growth, while at the same time asking how we can obtain more growth. Interesting, doncha think?

We go to people for advice all the time, but usually what we are hoping for is reassurance that what we are currently doing is enough. So, it causes conflict when our guides or teachers once again bring to light that which we have been trying to avoid… then when we decide to see the truth of the matter (usually after much of life’s poking and prodding) we say, “Well why didn’t you tell me this sooner? It would have saved me a lot of headache.”  I just usually laugh. It is not until we are ready to take the plunge, that we start to, consciously, make the necessary moves to get us going in the right direction.

No matter how hard we wish it, no one else can live our lives for us, regardless how hard we want to avoid certain experiences. When we try to avoid something, out of fear or uncertainty, we tend to focus on that very subject we’ve been trying to avoid in the first place. Hmmmm, something to think about. The point is, no one else can do for us that which we need or want to do for ourselves. It just cannot be. If we want to expand, we must be the ones to take that first step and be willing to breach the “unknown.”