Why is it so difficult to befriend oneself? To treat oneself with deep respect and love? To truly care for oneself? To honor one's heart's longings and callings? What do we imagine the risks of doing these things to be? What do we fear losing if we did? How far might you be willing to go in the service of your truth? How do conflicting desires prevent you from serving your true purpose?
Who are you, anyway? What are you doing here? What master are you serving? How are you contributing to the welfare of the world? Or are you? If you're not, you'll no doubt be diminished within yourself, and will feel this in any number of self diminishing ways. The reality of happiness and sanity requires an orientation that is not merely selfish. The reality of happiness and sanity requires something other than the worldly wisdom of dog eat dog, and every man/woman for him/herself.
This is, of course, risky business. It does, of course, go against the grain. It does not conform to the "norm". It requires a certain courage, a certain willingness to swim up stream, if you will. Oh, this is nothing new, yet translating this understanding into "mental health" reality is and always has been a challenge, seemingly reserved for the relatively few. Yet in these times, there seems to be the necessity of expanding from the few into something more. Maybe it always seems that way.
