I am convinced that the deepest desire within each of us is to be liberated from the controlling influences of our own psychic madness or patterns of fear. All other things—the disdain of ordinary life, the need to control others rather than be controlled, the craving for material goods as a means of security and protection against the winds of chaos—are external props that serve as substitutes for the real battle, which is the one waged within the individual soul.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that true freedom lies in overcoming our internal struggles rather than seeking external validation or material security.
Caroline Myss articulates a profound understanding of human desire, asserting that what we truly seek is liberation from our internal fears and chaotic thoughts. She indicates that many of our external pursuits, such as the desire for control or material possessions, are merely distractions that prevent us from addressing the real conflict within ourselves, advocating for a journey inward to confront and resolve these inner battles for true peace and fulfillment.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth, one might say, 'As Caroline Myss puts it, our greatest desire is to free ourselves from our internal chaos.'
When we harbor negative emotions toward others or toward ourselves, or when we intentionally create pain for others, we poison our own physical and spiritual systems. By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. It disables a person's emotional resources. The challenge...is to refine our capacity to love others as well as ourselves and to develop the power of forgiveness.
Wounds are the means through which we enter the hearts of other people. They are meant to teach us to become compassionate and wise.
Healing is a different type of pain. It’s the pain of becoming aware of the power of one’s strength and weakness, of one’s capacity to love or do damage to oneself and to others, and of how the most challenging person to control in life is ultimately yourself.
Being of service is not an option, it is a biological necessity. Every kind of action we do for someone is a reanimation of our own life force - and of the other person's.
When I was little, my dad told me about Anandpur Sahib and the court of Guru Gobind Singh. That we came from a tradition of poets, warriors and artists who created when it was illegal to create... we're groomed to be reckless in the defense of what we feel is right.
Only powerful people have liberty.
Usually we regard loneliness as an enemy. Heartache is not something we choose to invite in. It's restless and pregnant and hot with the desire to escape and find something or someone to keep us company. When we can rest in the middle, we begin to have a nonthreatening relationship with loneliness, a relaxing and cooling loneliness that completely turns our usual fearful patterns upside down.
To think that before the hills were formed, or the channels of the sea were scooped out, God loved me; that from everlasting to everlasting His mercy is upon His people. Is not that a consolation?
Peace will never be entirely secure until men everywhere have learned to conquer poverty without sacrificing liberty or security.
I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is inprobably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.