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.
It is in the movements of emotional crisis that human beings reveal themselves most accurately.
Ive walked a lot in the mountains in Iceland. And as you come to a new valley, as you come to a new landscape, you have a certain view. If you stand still, the landscape doesnt necessarily tell you how big it is. It doesnt really tell you what youre looking at. The moment you start to move the mountain starts to move.
Disease makes men more physical, it leaves them nothing but body.
As soon as beauty is sought not from religion and love, but for pleasure, it degrades the seeker.
Yes, President Romney will not take God off our coins. And that is so important because right now, just like God, the value of our currency really has to be taken on faith.
The rise and fall of civilizations in the long, broad course of history can be seen to have been largely a function of the integrity and cogency of their supporting canons of myth; for not authority but aspiration is the motivator, builder, and transformer of civilization.
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