“Be strong. Be strong.” The words echo endlessly. Memories of women whispering to a weeping widow crouched over her husband’s body. A victim of a fatal heart attack, she walked into find him no longer there. “Be strong. Be strong” the tender urgings of a mother saving her child from falling deeper into the abyss.
What is this word called strong anyway? Is it just one of those things you say to people when they can’t cope with the ravages of life’s roller coaster ride? Or does it have some depth, some meaning to it. I’d define it as an inner reservoir of energy we draw upon to keep our chins up and our feet firmly planted on the ground when we fall.
It is a force. An invisible power. That cannot be seen or touched yet can be felt, if we, and only we choose to feel it. There are tools to this inner power so to speak. Meditation, which leads your mind to a state of emptiness, where all you feel is peace and with that peace you emerge, ready to face whatever Life throws in your direction. There are chants, mantras, books and prayers that offer a sense of peace and knowing that you are not alone. Billions of other souls for thousands of years before have felt this, seen this, and lived this pain in some form or the other.
But the simplest tool is intent. Our choice. Our exclusive choice as souls on this planet. It occurs the moment we decide to find the reservoir which is always with us. I’ve learnt the words “be strong, be strong” are not just phrases of comfort. But who all of us actually are…..souls being in a state of strength, that comes from peace within. The minute we stop struggling with a situation and simply accept it and are willing to go with whatever life has for us, we’re stronger.
There are times when I feel weakened by the recession, by the gloom around me. By observing anger and violence on television. By wondering what on earth is going on? Try as I may, it’s hard to stay unaffected and detached. Self pity takes over. Fears come creeping in. That’s when I close my eyes and hear the whisper ‘be strong, be strong.’ And suddenly, there’s a little hope.
