Strength
It’s about time we talk about courage. The courage to face difficulty and try to help solve the problems around us. It takes strength to see our part in the problem, to admit that, and take steps to move forward.
- It takes strength to see suffering, to sit with suffering, to commit to alleviate that suffering, and to take action to alleviate that suffering. I like to call this compassion with strength.
- It takes strength to face this challenging world with an open heart and a strong spine and ask, “How can I help?”
- It takes strength to discipline ourselves, to take the time to practice and develop the capacities that lead to Healthy Mind.
- Heck, it even takes strength to admit we have a problem and to take actions to fix it!
We must be able to admit our faults and weaknesses a bit to get started – that takes courage and is called vulnerability.
Some of the strongest people I know are women who are single mothers and are raising kids and working hard to make ends meet. I worked with many people like this during my 20 some years of providing psychotherapy. Here are a few examples: a mother whose daughter (age 9) was dying; a mother whose husband was sent to prison for 20 years making her a single mom to two young boys; and a grandmother who brought her 3 adopted grand-daughters to therapy for years, wanting to instill in them the courage to stand up and protect themselves in ways she and her daughter were not allowed. These women were facing suffering and were willing to bring their children in for help with that suffering even though it was difficult to face. That is strength.