We contain within us a duality that is not evidently apparent. We are both very fragile and also very strong.
At times, only the fragility is apparent and at other times the strength is overwhelming. Where do we stand with both?
A good friend of mine was leaving a shopping mall heading for her car when suddenly she was hit by a vehicle. A very young woman of only eighteen was late for her work at the mall and hit her in her hurry to get to work on time.
My friend had to be taken to the hospital and checked and she ended up with broken ribs and a broken ankle. She could not go to her work and she was home-bound and full of pain and frustration. She felt very vulnerable and fragile. Yet her spirits kicked in making her inner strength emerge. She was capable of healing her wounds that were a lot more than the obvious physical damage.
She is not alone. The earth is loaded with great examples of human beings that were hurt in their fragility but found the strength and inner power to transcend their situation and go on.
I am now being surrounded with many friends who are experiencing a very hard time. Some have cancer, disease of some sort and some have sprained ankles, some are sick spending time in a hospital. Lots of pain. I witness all of that and know that only their inner power carries them beyond the body ailments. I do feel sad when my thought goes to them and it happens often. I feel inside me the moments of immense fragility and realize that being in a body makes us destroyable or at least susceptible to all kind of disease and accidents. The nature of being humans. Our mind and emotions can also trigger a full moment of fragility and utter vulnerability. This happens more often than we want to remember.
At the same time our spirit can carry us to great height over the disease, over the discomfort or over the strain in our minds. We do have a brain that can think or be redirected and a great ability to transcend what our body experiences. I know having been very ill myself.
So our days are dictated by our feelings. They oscillate between either the pole of strength or our pole of mere fragility. States that can emerge at times or can stand apart while we stand in the middle. We are beings of fragile strength and get to deploy both emotions at all times.
Copyright 2013 Micheline Brierre
Micheline,
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely commentary on the this duality. We are all capable of this, now my own mother is facing a serious health issue, and yet her inner strength, which is not always readily apparent, has kicked in and I know it will get her through this.
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Thanks Micheline,
ReplyDeleteAs usual, your writing inspires me so. I learned how to share it on facebook; I hope that is okay with you. I'm hoping many of the people I care about will also inspired by your talents.
Dollie
I often say ... Generals are made in time of war. It's not too much different than what you say of "duality". We do not know what we are capable of until we are faced with a moment of crisis and then ... we rise to the ocassion or, sink. Case in point. Your reaction after our airplane accident in the mountains of Mexico. Picking flowers on the torturous descent down the mountain. That is when I came to know you; your inner strength and your ability to overcome adversity. And you were only 22 years old. Your ex. Charlie
ReplyDeletemy sister recently passed away from a cancer that spread to her entire body. she fought this disease like a lion! she was able to keep it at bay for over 8 years. her spirit never rallied. and her many friends were around her till the very.end. while it broke my heart,( we were very close) her fight and spirit was most inspiring. to all of us who loved us.
ReplyDeleteMichou cherie, c'est avec un immense plaisir que je lit tes blogs . Le dernier est tellement profond et plein d'humanisme !
ReplyDeleteJe te remercie et t'embrasse affecteusement
Nounette
Michou cheri,
ReplyDeleteThis is beautifully said. I just read a book written by an Indian lady who had a terminal cancer and survived with no trace of cancer. The book is called 'Drying to be me'. The idea is somehow the same as yours.
Loe you, Michou.
Gerda
Great post from everyone and thank you. Just two days after I published this blog, my husband mother whom we loved dearly passed away. A sad day. I got to feel again both my fragility and my strength. Will write about it later.
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