Three
Questions
“Rather
than money, than fame, than love…give me truth.”
Henry
David Thoreau
A woman
named Andrea Balt publishes a website called Rebelle Society, and in
2013, she wrote an article, “30 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Die.”
A few of them really struck me as important to ask.
1) “What are your ghosts? Your unspoken
demons? The stuff you keep in your closet under a lock?” In
Jungian terms, this is an invitation to get in touch with your shadow—at least
the parts of it you can sus out. You can recognize your shadow by encountering
people who push your buttons. Jung taught that when we have an out-sized
reaction to someone, it is because they represent something about ourselves
that we are repressing. We repress parts of ourselves because we don’t want to
admit that we have them. The problem with not knowing anything about your
shadow is that you project him/her onto everybody. Next time you hear yourself
say, “He (or she) is such a ______!” take a good look at that person and say
hello to a little piece of your hidden personality. It is humbling.
2) “If you had to add something to humanity, what
would your contribution be?” The first answer I had for this question was “compassion,”
but then I realized I would have to have it myself before I could contribute it.
Uh-oh! But, you see, these first two are related—what we refuse to recognize in
ourselves blocks our ability to feel compassion. Getting well-acquainted with
one’s shadow material—to the extent possible—is the way to gain compassion for
others. When we begin looking closely at the parts we keep under lock and key,
we feel a bit more related to humanity. The thought, “I’ve made that mistake
myself,” replaces “She made a stupid mistake and now she’s paying for it!”
3) “What do you want to be remembered by?” I had
to think about this one a while. The temptation to write some flowery thing is
strong but would be simply platitude. My choice then would be (at least this
morning) “she spoke her truth.” Authenticity is not cast in stone—it can change
in that we can feel one way about something one day and differently another
day. And both are authentic. When we change our minds, or change our approach,
or change our attitude because we have learned something that sheds a new light
on the subject, we can be swayed and still be truthful. After all, the soul
that is you is here to evolve, and learning and changing is a big part of that.
If you
have time today, answer these questions for yourself. It’s an exercise in
humility!
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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