#mindvsbody

Every day of your life is an experiment in faith.

We risk failing/succeeding, hurting/helping, crying/laughing, sharing/isolating, giving/gaining, love/apathy… dichotomies ad infinitum.

So why then at times, do we take risks?

The deeper question may be what in us drives us to risk our safety and comfort? Ever see the graphic of two circles apart from one another, one large and one small. In the large circle a caption “Where the magic happens.” Next to the small circle a caption reads, “your comfort zone.”

What about another graphic passed around the Internet? Two cliff ledges face each other. A bottomless pit between them. A figure stands on the left cliff with a caption that reads “what we are;” the adjacent cliff caption reads “what we want to be.” In the gap, a caption reads “Leap of Faith.” The title of the graphic encourages the reader “MAKE THE JUMP.”

Do we desire to go some other place WHERE there is more magic?

Or…

Do we desire to be something different than WHAT we are right now?

We can comfortably say that any change from the norm takes a leap of faith.

A graduate professor of mine use to say change is uncomfortable.

More likely than not, we have a keen sense of what we are, and where we are in this moment (hopefully). Unless you are having orientation problems, or problems with reality testing, which may say more about your mental health than your awareness in space and time.

It takes FAITH and FRICTION to get up a mountain.

Being human means being susceptible to human nature. A part of that nature is living during a period of time where things change frequently, they are said to be… capricious. The climate changes seasons, the work force fluctuates, economic shifts from depressions to recessions, a loved one passes away, two individuals get married, a child is brought into this world, the physical body malfunctions, diseases are rampant… you get the picture.

Like in rock climbing, in a world of change and pending unknown, we hold on to what makes us feel secure. We cling to those things and ideas that have the most friction, the things we won’t slide off of, or slide right through our fingers.

We have a need for security.        

We have a need for stability.

Disequilibrium, feeling off balance or unstable, is uncomfortable and at times, dangerous… when scaling a mountain.

We have a need to feel oriented in the right direction. Our values and beliefs direct us. The “true north” of our moral, ethical, spiritual compasses give us welcomed guidance. Where are we going? What moves are we making to go in a direction of worth, honor and being-ness?

We rest on what feels solid.                                              

We take faith in the things with the most friction.

But then, at times…. we get tired. Fatigue makes a coward of us. My very Spanish mother believes adversity comes in threes: one thing after another, after another.  We deal with the crux of life: the most challenging part of life; a child/parent/spouse passes from this world unexpectedly; cancer is contracted and battled; a career is lost; a hurricane destroys a community; a people go to war.  We can only hope, that an individual has to deal with only one of these major life adversities in their time on planet earth. No one can escape living through at least one of these events.

We also deal with the daily cruxes. Fatigued and at times feeling lost, we question our resolve. We questions our purpose, our abilities and our potentials.

We suspend our ideologies; adversity weakens the friction of what we feel to be stable and secure and solid.

It is in these trying times when we question if we have enough to keep going. We desire to quit and escape the uncomfortable feeling of defeat that withers our spirit. As negative emotions rise, the brain stops problem solving, we can see the failure not solutions, the blinders are on. We feel out of options, this is due to state dependent functioning of the brain; one can’t think rationally when real or perceived fear sets in, it is physiologically impossible.

In those difficult moments, where the Shadow creeps in and whispers doubt into our heart, how do we overcome? Courage.

What are the links between courage and faith? Stephen Covey, author and sage in organizational leadership, unravels the complex ties between humility, courage, integrity, and wisdom:  

“[W]isdom is the child of integrity—being integrated around principles. And integrity is the child of humility and courage. In fact, you could say that humility is the mother of all virtues because humility acknowledges that there are natural laws or principles that govern the universe. They are in charge. Pride teaches us that we are in charge. Humility teaches us to understand and live by principles, because they ultimately govern the consequences of our actions. If humility is the mother, courage is the father of wisdom. Because to truly live by these principles when they are contrary to social mores, norms and values takes enormous courage.”

Courage… the father of wisdom…. Humility… the mother of all virtues.

Dr. Covey once stated, “This is a time of great crisis. Crisis creates humility–pain humbles people.” Covey explained people often are more open and teachable in these moments.

Act with courage. Putting one’s self in the face of adversity makes one vulnerable to opportunity.

An opportunity to meet our true nature.      

Where is the faith in one’s true nature?

Pain humbles people. Humility through crisis.

Crisis is an opportunity.

Opportunity for courage.

It takes an insanely, small amount of faith to act courageously.

We hang on the side of a rock face, grasping for security. We trust these natural holds to support our weight. We trust our musculature and conditioning to maintain our orientation. We balance on the fine line between crisis and comfort.

What keeps us in this balance? Friction.

Stay tuned for PART III: FAITH AND FRICTION: WHAT IS FRICTION?

Start at the beginning of this series: