You have to be your own hero.
I think it’s natural as a child to have heroes. When we are weak, frail, vulnerable and uncertain there is a great comfort in having someone who is strong, powerful, seemingly immortal and certain. We look for champions in a world that is dark, unforgiving and terrifying.
Our heroes stand in front of us, ready to shield us from all that life has to bring; from that which we see and those things we don’t even know about yet.
Heroes, champions, defenders, avengers. They stand apart, and we wait for them to save us.
Your hero may be one of physical combat, or of spiritual guidance. They may be a fighter, trained for years in the arts of war, or they may be a wordsmith, who can move emotional mountains with an epistle; create options with an opinion and create illumination with their imagination.
Whoever your hero is, I can guarantee you one thing. They are not your answer.
If you want a life you can be happy with, one that mingles meaning with madness and reason with responsibility, then there will have to come a moment when you let go of the hand of your hero, and with fear in your heart stand alone to battle the trials that you face.
And standing and withstanding, realizing the truth of your own power, you go on to become your own hero.
As you embark on your own ‘Hero’s Journey’ you realize that the hero is not the one who never falls, but is the one who always stands back up. Regardless of the blow, they return again to the fight.
Wiser, with a more determined spirit, and with greater knowledge of the battle they face, they continue on through their journey, forging themselves as well as the pathway they are creating.
And over time, your trust in yourself becomes the power that flows through your veins, strengthening all that you do and feel. As you become more authentic, comfortable in your own life and your own opinions, you find less of a need to engage in conflict, and a greater desire to find peace in the world around you.
When you understand all that you can withstand, and have the calm assurance in your soul that you are capable of all that you need to be, your presence is calming, your words soothing and your attention is uplifting.
When you are fully aware of the change you can be in the world, with all that you are capable of, you will act as your own hero, and lift others as well as yourself.
All this is within you, awaiting the day, when you decide to let it out.
And be free.
-- Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings