Face your dragon, claim your gold
Have you ever wondered why dragons guard treasure in mythology?
In my experience most people are not conscious of the parallel between these two entity's. They do know that they are related though, maybe because its been depicted in multiple films and books over the years. Or maybe because it runs a lot deeper than that within the human psyche.
This concept exists for a reason, a very powerful one at that.
"That which we need the most will be found where we least want to look"
...Carl Jung...
This maxim cuts through me with me more power than any other one out there.
I love it, and we should all be taught to love it as well. Imagine a world where people are encouraged and I mean truly encouraged to be brave and put themselves out there. This kind of behaviour and mindset should be cultivated from a young age and funneled into the improvement of mankind. The possible benefit that this could bring to humanity is inconceivable.
Courage is a fundamental axiom of the human spirit. Without it we would not be alive right now. Our ancestors had to be more courageous than we can imagine during some harrowingly dark periods of history.
From a Judeo-Christian perspective, Jesus bared the sins of his fellow people in order for them to live. Whether you believe in the story of Christ and God or not, this notion has far more meaning than a surface level analysis implies.
The point behind the quote is, as I mentioned ealrier, one on courage.
Every time you challenge a thought, move out of your comfort zone or stand tall in times of darkness, you grow. You grow and you gain access to different parts of you that you didn't know existed. Not only that but you regain parts of you that were trapped or you had temporarily lost.
I believe that we are so much stronger than we believe we are. Our tauma doesn't have to define us, our past doesn't define us and our parents don't define us. What defines us are the choices we make given what we have to work with in life. The ability to move behind times of weakness and grow from them, pursue truth and love across all aspects of our existence and do so with peace and courage.
This is not to say that we humans are invincible, we are clearly not. What makes people so amazing is the polarity between just how fragile we can be but also how strong we can be. This is the dilemma of humanity that we all face on a day to day basis. The question is how will you respond.
By choosing to be brave you enhance who you are as an individual and in turn you enhance those around you. This is the purpose of life.
Slay your dragon, retrieve your gold and spread it amongst your community.
This is the oldest story in the book. And it'll be here long after we're all gone.
And for that we should be thankful.
Ox
