I posted this essay a year ago. As I reflected on what I might write today, I decided to re-post this one. It contains some Cowboy Wisdom you might find entertaining and challenging. Enjoy again . . . or for the very first time!
Oxymoron? Perhaps; however there is powerful mojo just waiting to
reveal itself for the exploration!
Halloween is here and regardless of your beliefs or feelings about this
holiday, it carries some major weight in all we do each year — spending,
planning, celebrating, contemplating! On the lighter side, it is a time
when we as adults can allow our inner child out to play and temporarily escape
the routine and mundane of our lives! On the darker side, it can also be
a time when thoughts, feelings and actions become seemingly possessed by dread,
fear and anger! Both of which, by the way, tend to "mask" our
true struggles with life. As we seek to create meaningful existence — to
leave our mark on this world — despair and hope battle to dominate our lives!
What are we to do?
I have shared with you the Four Givens in life — those areas
over which we have little or no control — Life is a Struggle, Lives Are
Shattered, Life Goes On and Relationships Do Continue!
We have explored the necessity of spending appropriate amounts of time in each
area in order to acknowledge the realities of "mean times" when they
enter our lives as well as establish a realistic perspective about what lies
ahead of us in the "meantimes" — the times between the initiating
event and the continuation of life with a "new normal." We do
this in order to create structure for the transitions that await us.
We have also explored the power of Possibility Living when we
looked at the Two CAN DOs — which are Life CAN Be Good and
People DO Create Good Lives! These two areas focus our
attention on dreaming or "blueprinting" what our good life will
look like and then the actual steps taken to construct that good life we
desire.
Now comes the Scary part — finding the support necessary to
work persistently and consistently toward those goals! The first of the Three
Support Systems necessary for successful completion of our tasks is
that we must learn to take all of our dreams and action steps for the creation
of our good life and filter them through our Belief and/or Value
System. In other words, we must tap into that which is above us
— that which is bigger and stronger and more far-reaching than we! We
must tap into our Spiritual Core!
One reason that this endeavor can be scary is that many of us are not clear
about what makes up our personal Spiritual Core. We have
never really taken the time to study or contemplate the definition of
"spiritual" much less entertain how that definition might affect what
we dream or do.
A second reason for the scary nature of this endeavor is that we might, in
our process of exploration, discover that our Spiritual Core is
merely in place by default. In other words, we might discover that our
beliefs and values are in place primarily and perhaps ONLY because we were
"raised with them!" Now this is not saying that the beliefs and
values with which we were raised are defective. It is simply bringing to
light that we may have embraced blindly without examination. There is
always potential danger is such action.
A third reason for the scary is that we may determine that our Spiritual
Core must be reworked in order to create dreams and follow plans that
truly free us to be all we are meant to be! We might possibly be branded
a renegade; a "turncoat;" an iconoclast; a "flip-flopper;"
or even worse — "Nuts!" More often than not, a complete
overhaul of our Spiritual Core is unnecessary — we may simply
need a "tune-up" or an adjustment here and there or a sharpening of
our focus.
Regardless, when we begin to explore that which provides meaning and purpose
in life — that which takes us outside ourselves into a realm that forces
us to see the world in broader scope — the fear of the unknown can become a
barrier to complete fulfillment in life.
The December 2008 edition of Cowboys and Indians Magazine contains
a fascinating article — second in a series about cowboys who made the West
what it was and is — that caused me to reflect on my own personal
beliefs and values anew. Gene Autry lived 90+ years leaving behind
multiple legacies of profound importance that will be felt for generations to
come. This particular article outlined Gene Autry's "Cowboy
Code," or "Cowboy Commandments." Read on and indulge in
the simple yet profound wisdom of his words.
- The cowboy must never shoot
first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage. - He must never go back on his
word or a trust confided in him. - He must always tell the
truth. - He must be gentle with
children, the elderly and animals. - He must not advocate or
possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. - He must help people in
distress. - He must be a good worker.
- He must keep himself clear in
thought, speech, action and personal habits. - He must respect women,
parents and his nation's laws. - The cowboy is a patriot.
Gene Autry wrote these in response to young radio listeners who aspired to
be like him! Amazing, isn't it?
I wonder what might happen if we were to follow this particular set
of beliefs or values and apply them to all of our endeavors? How might our
politics be affected? Our business dealings? Our friendships?
Our disagreements? What might happen to our marriages or relationships
with partners or significant others? In what ways would our dreams for a
good life be altered or enhanced? How might our action steps be
influenced?
What are your beliefs and values — truly? Have you ever
really sat down and written them out? Do you know what you believe/value
and for what purposes? How often have you taken inventory of the
components that make up this crucial life filter? How "in line"
are your dreams and plans with your beliefs and values? When is the last
time you really tapped your Spiritual Core for a progress report?
Perhaps now is the best time to stop all the busyness of living and take
stock of our Spiritual Core. I challenge each of us to
filter our dreams, plans and action steps for successful living through our
personal beliefs and values! Scary? Perhaps! Scary Spiritual indeed!
Until next time . . . Peace!
Mark
Copyright 2008 Mark E. Hundley
