If offered diamonds, who would take a stone instead? Yet, that is the choice we make daily. We see diamonds (a better life, nature’s beauty, love, abundance, friends, loved ones, health). Yet we consistently select life’s stones, albeit subconsciously.
I asked a woman what she was reading. She answered that it was a trashy novel that she didn’t like, but her choice of books had been criticized by friends and family as being too bourgeoisie (i.e., she thought she was “better than”). She chose to fit in, to go along, even if it meant going against her personal preferences.
When I become upset because of others’ opinions of me, I must on some level accept those evaluations.
How many times do we choose to be around people who don’t support and affirm us, who devalue themselves, and accept less than their worth? Are we often on call for handling OPB (Other People’s Business) while our own houses are crumbling? Do we say yes when we should be saying no?
Do we choose not to grow into awareness of ourselves and, thus, impede the development of our greatest potential? Do we believe that we are not worth the often arduous journey of becoming more than we see ourselves?
Many times we accommodate others when convinced that our standards are too high. We would rather be a sheep than a shepherd. We settle for less. We don’t truly believe that we are worthy. We tell ourselves, “This is the best that I can do, so I’d better hold on tight to my current situation,” instead of taking a risk to try something new. This mentality metaphorically chooses a stone because it affirms that you can’t possibly deserve a diamond, even if it is possible to attain.
Truly, many are literally oppressed, abused, held back, denied educational and employment opportunities, sick, and disabled. In many countries, people cannot speak and act freely. Women don’t have control over their own bodies. Children are forced to participate in wars that they cannot comprehend. The challenge is to see beyond the cage of our perception of limitation such that we can create a new existence.
The ultimate diamond is to believe that you are free when all sensory signals indicate that you are not. On every level of known perception and feeling, you experience lack and limitation. Nevertheless, you somehow believe in an unknown that, once accessed, will free you from all aspects of the prison in which you find yourself.
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