The Universe

I belong in this world. I am here as a human with a physical body and a consciousness and an ability to contemplate my existence and presence.


While I am part of a larger universe and we are all made of star stuff and are essentially one and the same being, all moving towards an eternal circle of life, recycling and being reborn as rearranged atoms and molecules with a life form powered by a soul, we are still parts. And we must take care of these individual parts in order to take care of the whole. So if I want to change the world, I have to change myself. If I want to heal the world, I have to heal myself. Knowing that taking care of myself is a part of contributing to the universe helps me understand my own importance. I am no more or less important than anything else in this universe. I am the universe and 'I' am nothing. But I exist as an "I" and I live and experience as an "I" but also as we and us, and the point is to nurture the soul through all these multiple ways of experiencing and existing.
That is why, my body is a temple but it is also a machine that can serve. My mind is a creator and site of exchange of ideas. My soul is the residence of my unique light but also a link in the chain that unites us all. Hence, I will take care of my body by bathing, cleaning, being hygienic, eating fresh healthy food, exercising and relaxing. I will nourish my mind by thinking, reading, learning, talking, writing, listening, painting, singing, observing and experiencing. I will nourish my soul by feeling, loving, trusting and being. I am a part and I am a whole. It is ambiguous and the more I think about it the more illogical it seems but it is the truth and truth and logic are not one and the same. I am a part and I am a whole. And the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Which is why, I will nourish the whole by loving, listening, learning, creating, and teaching the parts around me and uniting the forces of energy that flows between all of us and all things in this universe. It is to a common home we all belong. We are the home. And I am at home. Peace is how we can keep our home clean and love is how we can make it sparkle. You are me and I am you. 'You' are nothing and 'I' am nothing because we are all the same being. But you and I exist as you and I, but it is in our nature to unite, to come together and be, as one, and as a part, in Balance. A balance between being I and we. A core of nothingness surrounded a blanket of I, and swirls of we all around it, creates a perfect spiral of soulful harmony. One that is beautiful, and radiant. Like you and I. Because we are the universe.

Fear

There is an amount of fear associated with all our emotions. Whatever we may experience, we seem to be experiencing it with a sense of fear attached to it.  Be it happiness, where we fear that it won't last, or sadness, where we are afraid that it will consume us and cause us pain. It is the fear that causes the pain in us.  When we are afraid, we are uncertain and when we are uncertain, we are insecure. When we are insecure, we undertake attempts to move towards security, frantically searching all around us, instead of looking within us. For, this security actually lies within. If we accept the emotion as it is and allow ourselves to feel it, without fearing it, we will find that it will pass and a new emotion takes over. But if each of our emotions are associated with fear- fear that it is short lived, fear that it is eternal, fear that makes us inferior, as in the case of jealousy, fear that we will not be treated justly, as in the case of anger, and the fear of fear itself- we live in a constant state of fear. Instead, we must embrace the emotion without being afraid of it. Happiness is a light feeling that brings hope, sadness is a heavy feeling that slows you down, makes you reconsider life and helps you grow, anger is an intense feeling that reflects what you are passionate about, and jealousy is a churning feeling that reflects to you your strengths and weaknesses,while fear prepares you for action.  
Hence, these emotions must be felt in their entirety without fearing them. It is not to say that each of these emotions are mutually exclusive, and that they include only the feelings mentioned here. Instead, it means that we must accept all our emotions as they are, and as we feel them, and not fear them. If you feel afraid, then be afraid. But do not be afraid that you are afraid. If you are happy, be happy. Do not wonder when you will be sad again. If you are sad, do not lose hope that you can never be okay again. If you are angry, count to ten and release your anger.  Do not be afraid that you will be judged for showing your anger and branded as a harsh person. If you are jealous, accept that your own insecurities are making you feel this way, and reflect on who you are. Do not fear an emotion that's on its way. Welcome it with open arms, be a good host, and hug it on its way out, knowing that you will see it again, and when you do, it will no longer be an acquaintance, but an old friend.