Thinking Out Loud

Let me explain my point of view for just a moment. Among other things, I believe:

1. We are all children of a loving Father in Heaven.
2. As his children we are endowed with qualities of the divine. Truly there is a light in each of us.
3. We have been given the gift of agency to do with that light what we will.
4. We have been given the opportunity in this life to become the best versions of ourselves if we choose to do so.

I'm not asking for agreement here. It is simply a statement about my ultimate motivation. I do not see life as a competition with anyone else; the only person I am competing with is me: Whether or not I can master myself. Whether or not I fulfill my potential.

Perhaps that is why I have long loved this quote. I don't know when or where I first encountered it, but what I do remember of the experience is thinking, "Wow. I wish I had written that." It seemed so perfectly to express the driving belief of my own life:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” --From Marianne Williamson's book Return to Love (often wrongly attributed to Nelson Mandela)

In moments when I find myself out of my comfort zone and am fearful of the judgement of others, I repeat parts of this statement in my head. (Now you'll know what I'm thinking before standing up in front of a group of people.)

But I have found myself rethinking this quote over the last couple of days. See, it's not entirely true. Or, rather, maybe I'm understanding it better. The problem lies in the last two lines (my favorites by the way.) It says: "And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

The difficulty comes with the word "others." Notice it doesn't say "everyone." What I'm figuring out is that there are some people that aren't liberated by another's light. In fact, they're bugged by it. I don't know. Maybe it gets in the eyes or shines through their bedroom window at night, but for whatever reason they just find it irritating.

Help me out, and share your thoughts, 'cause I'm still trying to figure it out. What gives with these people?