Finding Inner Courage

I am currently reading a book recommended to me by my favorite staffer at THE BOOK DEN in Windhoek – a lovely, independent bookstore and sanctuary in Namibia’s capitol. They even order books internationally – I was so happy to find this place!

The book is called Finding Inner Courage by Mark Nepo with a front-cover recommendation by one of my favorite authors, Parker Palmer. (His book, The Courage to Teach is an absolute classic, and one I think of every day that I am either preparing to teach, or teaching. It is truly outstanding and illuminating on the deeper, more spiritual aspects of teaching as a vocation.) Nepo’s book really spoke to me last weekend.

One of the quotes that caught my attention was this:

“There are pearls in the deep sea, but one must hazard all to find them.

If diving once does not bring you pearls, you need not conclude that the sea is without them.

Dive again and again.”

– Ramakrishna

It reminds me of the quote about apples that I recently posted, which urges you to savor all of life’s intricacies, the joys as well as the sorrows, to experience them all with wild abandon, and suggests that is why we are here – to unabashedly and determinedly face life head on, to experience all it has to offer, and to give our lives in service. Nepo goes on to talk about the story of Jacob in Israel, where Jacob was forced to “wrestle with God,” go to the depths of his soul, and was deeply tested. This is all about facing ourselves and our shadow sides. Nepo states that, “if we can hold on to our darkest elements – in fact – embrace them – we might become whole.” He goes on to say that if we do not, they will in the end will possess us. That which we do not face becomes manifest and negatively affects each of our human interactions. We inadvertently take out on others the internal work which we do not want to do.

Similarly, the passion and the force within each of us is there to be expressed – it must be brought forth. A favorite quote of mine from the Gnostic Gospels is when Jesus said:

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth WILL SAVE YOU.

If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth WILL DESTROY YOU.”

Martha Graham put it this way,

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."

On a slightly different note, Nepo tells the story of John Woolman, who was a Quaker who advocated tirelessly against slavery, which led the Quaker community eventually to shun slavery much earlier, and in a more peaceful way than the war and abolition that eventually transpired. The story of Woolman is truly inspirational – he peacefully traveled the country and spoke out against the injustice of slavery. He would not eat food prepared by slaves, and insisted on paying for services if he inadvertently benefitted from the work of slaves. The story of Woolman makes me reflect on Namibia and South Africa and wonder about, honor, respect and pay tribute to all of those, both known and unknown, both recognized and not, who resisted apartheid. In my own country, it makes me think of the many heroes who resisted slavery such as Harriet Tubman and those working with the Underground Railroad system which brought slaves to safety and freedom. It makes me think of Miep Gies, who harbored Jews and kept them safe, even despite the great risk of personal peril for herself and her family under the Nazi Germany regime. There are many examples of tremendous courage throughout history.

Let’s honor and pay tribute to these heroes as well as the “real Rosa Parks” (see essay by Paul Lowb) the ordinary citizens who stand up for justice every day. They are everywhere, right in our midst. Let’s respect and recognize them – let’s aspire to BE one of them.