Look In Or Look Out

We run the risk of being caught in a trap of our own creation; of constructing a sanctuary from which we can find no escape; of building walls that become an actual prison rather than the intended protection.

There’s a danger of becoming over-zealous when it comes to shielding ourselves from the sadness and pain we encounter in the world we share.

We can become so distracted by that which is happening around us that we can neglect that which is happening inside and through us. Our attempts to keep the world without can draw us away from dealing with the world within. It’s then that the measures we have taken can become toxic.

Self-protection  begins with self-knowledge. What we know we can either accept or reject but in the knowing comes the opportunity to change. Change is choice and that choice is ours and ours alone.

Experiences can alter the way we think. Relationships can affect the way we feel. Survival is about recognising the way we are changing. More than that it’s about developing strategies that help us cope. It’s about building and maintaining a working and loving relationship with ourselves.

Avoidance and isolation is not the answer. Keeping the outside world at arm’s length is not the solution.

The very real problem with constructing impenetrable emotional and psychological boundaries is that, while nothing may be able to get in, we can no longer get out.

Life is meant to be lived…and lived fully. The intensity and breadth of the overall experience may vary from individual to individual but the heart of the matter will always be the matter of the heart.

Everyone is looking to love and to be loved. Until we fully embrace ourselves we will not able to fully embrace others. Look in or look out.