Have you claimed the authority to take a seat within your inner self and be that which you are? Inner security is what we’re going for here, and to get to the inner, we’ll need to start with outer security, move on through insecurity, and arrive at inner security.
Ida Lawrence, ContributorWaking Times
I enjoy reading blogs, and just yesterday I came across a comment that defined the ego as misidentification of self. That’s a pretty good description, and a good lead-in to a discussion of outer security. I think we all know, deep down, that there is no such thing as outer security even in highly controlled systems or highly controlled lives, and yet we strive for it every day and in every way.
I’m recalling a man I knew who identified himself as a banker. He accumulated as much money as he could, projected an image of success, adhered strictly to his religion, ate very healthy food, and liked to go on ten-mile runs. He knew who he was, and he seriously controlled his life in order to maintain that identification.
One day during a run he suffered a stroke, and spent six weeks in a hospital plus many more weeks in a nursing home. He is no longer able to identify as a successful banker. Nonetheless he is the same person. Who is he now? His energy has been driven inside to the core as he applies himself to recovery. Is he now identified as a stroke victim or is he the energy of himself having a transformative life experience?
It is possible to live our lives without buying into the illusion that if our circumstances are controlled enough, and we are paying attention to every protective detail and doing everything that we believe is required, we will be secure. Working from this stance: a controlled life is a prison life and a misidentified self is a prisoner of the ego.
Now on to insecurity. We’re taking a step away from misidentified self to unidentified self. We see teenagers trying on this identification and that identification, and coming up with: I am the leader… I am the sexy one… I am the smart one… I am the athlete… I am different… and so on. But with these assertions comes insecurity. Will the world validate me as this? Am I doing a good job at being my persona? I’m not so sure.
By all means insecurity doesn’t end when the teenage years end. For many of us it carries on throughout life. Am I a good dad? Am I a good artist? Am I a good farmer? Am I a good doctor? Validation is asked for all along the way: what do you think? How does this sound to you?
We find ourselves wondering if maybe we should take some classes, maybe we could market ourselves differently. We may experience financial success and accolades, or not. Nonetheless the insecurity of not knowing who we really are remains. On the spiritual journey, not knowing who we are is a good thing in a way… far less imprisoning than having latched on to a false identity.
So what is the truthfully perceived self and what is inner security? The outer world cannot ever validate our ego completely, for we will always know that what they are validating is not the real self. The outer world cannot give us our purpose in being either, or determine that we are serving our purpose.
We are energy… which is the feeling of us… which is the information of us. That energy, feeling and information can be applied in any number of ways, to any number of tasks, and it can be refined and consolidated, and increased as we work on knowing self. If we are honest with ourselves, and upon looking within we find that our feelings and sentiments are in need of change, we do have the power to change. In fact we are the only ones with the power. We have immense power if only we align with it.
Inner security is found in our inner divinity. The divine within really is within, and it is connected to the divine within all others, and the source of all that is. This is where we take our seat. From this place we experience a more liberated life… fully knowledgeable that the world, and the system that is structured to control us, offers no security. Change can occur and it will occur. Knowing who we are enables us to flow with changing circumstances, for we are always us… we are us having experiences from which to grow and learn.
In this time period we see people giving up basic human liberties for the illusion of security. We wish we could tell them… you’re making a raw deal… buying in to an illusion. You’ve misidentified yourself. You are much more powerful than what you believe.
Individuation is the process… the way to exit the wave of fear, and go the other way. It takes courage. I know this very well because I call upon myself for courage daily. Relying upon inner security does lead to one’s purpose, for only then are we our real selves, and only then can we offer our real selves to others. Our offerings may change in accord with what we encounter, but ultimately… decent, kind, humble, respectful human interaction is the offering most needed.
About the Author
Ida Lawrence is an author, blogger, copywriter and editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has authored two books on racial justice and human rights, and numerous articles on human rights, self-empowerment and related subjects. Ida is also a certified Tai Chi instructor with a special interest in helping seniors and the disabled with Tai Chi and Chi Kung practices modified for their use. Her goal in life has been to find answers to the question of ‘why’ and then to explore the question of ‘what is’. More of her work is available at her personal blog, http://talk2momz.com/.
This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.
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