Conviction

The word is conviction. Belief and faith in yourself, in your view, your attitude. Trust in the lessons you've learned. Knowing that you are resolved and you stand tall and firm upon your foundation. The ego must be kept in check, a careful balance must be obtained and consistent vigilance must be maintained upon it's violent need to explode. A life engaged is not unlike a jet engine, propelled by the fuel of conviction, belief and faith. The flow must be controlled, balanced and directed, otherwise the combination is most dangerous and can cause much damage. Western philosophy says one should learn to focus this force within us to accomplish great goals and explore the finite details of any given subject. The Eastern philosophy is just the opposite, where one is encouraged to extinguish the fire, to let go of the flame and embrace the concept of being a part of an infinitely large existence. I think there are things to support, to believe in, to have conviction about, but they must be so very carefully embraced in order to keep from losing sight of their importance, significance, and relevance. Subjects like human rights, war, famine, and environmental concerns demand us to stand and be counted with one side or another. Most of us are relatively passive in support of or against such things, but we do so little in response beyond taking on an attitude. How can we have pride without action? How can that pride be kept in check? How can we move on an issue and be actively working toward positive change without letting that movement get out of hand and become dangerous and destructive in some other unexpected way? We can trust in love. We can ask ourselves if our conviction is in line with love and that which love would propagate. If the answer is "yes" then we must move! We must act! We must do something if we have the means. We must keep our eyes open to the big picture of our lives and our place in the world and be decisive and vigilant about our actions. If the answer is "no", then we must let it go and forget the attachment. Here is this chance, the opportunity to show our quality. Let us be of the highest quality and strongest conviction when we are tested. Let us know when to let go of those motivations that are not in line with love. Let us hone our judgement to know the difference. In all things, love should be our guide.