the worthiness of equality?

equality worthy confidence world balance

I’ve really been studying self-worth lately. I’ve been working within and observing the world outwardly. I’m coming to understand that people intellectually think that they are worthy. But in their hearts they just don’t believe it. And it makes me a little sad. I’ve been there. I know what this feels like. And it really sucks – to have this shell, this make-believe, this fake sense of worth and value.

Our culture seems to be a lot about equality these days. That men and women are equal. That girls can be boys and boys can be girls. That the wealthy should be poor and the poor should be wealthy. None of this equality makes us feel better about ourselves. It doesn’t show each individual the amazing possibilities God has in store for them in this life. It does not highlight our uniqueness and our God-given talents. It says you should be like the other person. It does not lift you up. It does not encourage you to be you. Somehow our society is forcing the individual to stay small and accept that that is good enough.

Well I say “No way!”. I want you to know how valuable you are. I want you to stop listening to all the naysayers in your life. The people who call you not good enough, you don’t need their approval. You don’t need validation from anyone outside of you.

On the very day that you were born, were you valuable? Absolutely! Babies, one of the greatest gifts we have in our world, reconnect us to the glory that this life has to offer. As a baby all you did was eat, puke, poop, sleep, and that’s about it. And yet, you were worthy. Do you think that now that you’ve “grown up” and gained some skills that you are any less worthy? No! Your skills, your job, your ability to help people do not make you more or less worthy. Those things help you along so that you can do your duties, you can find your life’s work to fulfill your dharma. But those things do not make you worthy of life. Your presence on this planet makes you worthy.

Swami Rama states in his introduction to the Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad-Gita “The outside world can be mastered only when the inner potentials are systematically explored and organized. Without understanding one’s inner potentials, it is not possible to function effectively and harmoniously in the external world, for all things happen within before they are expressed externally.”

In other words, if you don’t feel worthy from within no one else on this planet will think you are worthy either. That’s a big statement. Can you feel it? Do you get the impact that your disbelief in yourself, even if it is under the surface, has on you and your life?

Do you want other people to value you? Most likely yeah, you do. Take a look at yourself first. Do you value you?

Please pause and think about one thing that you thank God, for every day. The most cherished thing you can think of. Feel it, really feel it and let that embody you. Does a smile come to your face? (I hope so. Smiles feel so good.)

Now, what if you could do that for yourself every day? Can you thank God for you every day? This makes a lot of people feel quite uncomfortable – thinking that they should thank God for themselves every single day. Somehow they have this idea that it is egotistical to believe in themselves. That it is selfish to acknowledge the truth of their very essence.

The internal and external are two inseparable aspects of our lives here on earth. And while many people in our culture will tell you that the internal is a reflection of the external, I will invite you to think otherwise. Our lives begin first from within. And the external reality of the life that we see with our eyes and we hear with our ears is a reflection of what’s going on inside of us. That means that the doubts, feelings of disregard and worthlessness, anger or hatred, that live inside of us are the things that are showing up in our external world and we complain about. And most of us blame others for those problems.

Each of us are meant to be here in this world. We are meant to discover our own personal freedom of peace, happiness, and even bliss. We are not meant to be lemmings, to follow the crowd, and to be just like everyone else. This path takes dedication, a willingness to see the truth of who we are, the discipline to face our fears and to undergo some hardship and difficulty voluntarily. This inner work I speak of taps into our potential. It is the real way to live a spiritual life and to discover our authentic selves.

Along the way you may realize that there are people won’t understand what you’re doing. They will want to try to help in the only ways they know how. They’ll try to make you feel better about yourself, give you pep talks, and tell you that everything’s going to be okay. What they won’t understand is that you know that it is okay. You are worthy of healing the emotional wounds of your past. You are valuable enough to clear out the crap that keeps you from being the most amazing you possible. With compassion in your heart, smile upon the people who are trying to “help”. Thank them for caring enough about you to say something, even if it isn’t the “right thing”.

Are you ready to start understanding that you are worthy of clearing out things like guilt and anger? When you know you are worthy enough to purify the body and the mind to create a foundation for us to open up to higher wisdom. It allows us to come closer to God, to our divine kingdom of peace, happiness, and bliss or whatever God represents for you. Right in the middle of all this world of seeming chaos and turmoil, of things that seem uncertain, we get to carry on our spiritual quest. Don’t be afraid of the world. Get in there and get your hands dirty so you can live your life and discover how worthy you are.

It’s time to stop pretending that if we hide certain things in our closets and never mention it to anyone or anything that won’t exist. The truth is, the more you hide from your truth, the scarier it is to find it. The longer you tell yourself you’re not worthy, the more you believe the lies that keep you from being you, the scarier it is.

Are you willing to take responsibility for who you are?  One step at a time you can do this and you will start feeling your greatness!