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When
most of us think of strength, we think of the ability to block or overcome
some adverse force or situation---towers, pillars, armies or big burley
linebackers all come to mind. But from the One Life perspective,
where unity underlies everything and there are no "outside"
forces, we begin to wonder just what it is that we’re resisting with all
of this strength.
Spiritual
strength is kind of a hidden virtue because it often mistakenly looks weak
from an everyday perspective. Exercising patience, restraint,
conviction and faith seems wimpy or even foolish when we view other
people, places, situations and things as enemies who must be conquered.
But spiritual strength based on the underlying unity of all things is
infinitely more powerful than the divide and conquer approach.
It’s like martial arts, where the ability to deflect and redirect
destructive forces toward a better outcome does not require that a person
be built like a linebacker. With this technique, a fit, yet
unassuming person can harness the power of a much larger aggressor and use
it toward his or her own protection and victory.
The One Life Principle points out the commonality of all that is. If
we start with this premise, then our strength is not required for
separating ourselves from others, but rather for seeing how we are a
connected. In doing so, we reap the rewards of the martial artist
where the power of the universe is no longer against us, but instead
becomes our own.
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