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Spiritual Courage is Remembering
Who We Are
by Reverend Jennifer Baltz |
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A few months ago, ABC Primetime aired a story called “Why do People Follow the Crowd?” In it, they highlighted a study by Dr. Gregory Berns, where subjects were asked questions comparing geometric shapes. Most participants did well on the written test…their answers were
mostly correct. But when brought into a group where the rest of the group consistently and deliberately gave incorrect answers, their previously correct answers changed…to match the group.
Dr Berns took it a step further…using an fMRI, he discovered
that when the subject was deciding, the area that lit up in the brain was actually the spot where vision is interpreted…not where decisions are made. For those who decided against the group, the fear center lit up as well. It turns out that our brains might just be
hardwired to go with the group…to actually see what others see, to follow the herd.
It makes sense. We are tribal creatures, and our survival, even today, depends upon one another. Our greatest fear as human beings is being alone. But sometimes the courage to take your own road can make the difference between being who you came here
to be and being just another face in the crowd.
True courage is giving yourself permission to be true to yourself, no matter what others may say or think. And it’s not easy. Even your brain wants to take the well-traveled road, even if your intuition and your logic both say otherwise.
This is one reason why I think it’s so difficult for most people to trust their intuition, especially when the group around them says differently. We tend to second guess ourselves when the majority disagrees. The path of following your inner guidance
often takes great courage. Even after 15 years of doing intuitive readings, I still come up against that fear sometimes in trusting my intuition. It’s part of the process, and I have learned to acknowledge it and say hello when it comes up.
That greatest human fear of being alone is often enough to make us go against our inner convictions and go along with the group even we know it isn’t the right path for us. That fear has allowed great tragedies to occur…from genocide to the destruction
of our environment. It allows groups of people to turn a blind eye to things they know are wrong or harmful. But it also allows smaller, quieter events to occur…for instance, when a great idea is never spoken aloud because it goes against the group thought. Or when a person
chooses a career path that is not right for them, just to please someone else.
I believe that spiritual courage is the art of remembering. Remembering that we are never truly alone…that we are part of All That Is, part of God. Even when we forget and close our ears and eyes to that connection, we are still part of the Whole. And
this awareness can give wings to our intuition and ideas, because it allows that each person can be unique and special, and still be part of the Whole.
Copyright © 2006 Reverend Jennifer Baltz. All Rights
Reserved.
Jennifer Baltz is an intuitive coach and teacher. She teaches intuition, creativity, and meditation classes. Check out her website at
www.creativespirit.com, or for more information about a reading or private coaching with her, please call 1-800-600-3404.
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