The Law of Journey, Mark Nepo

"Let us present the same face to everyone."

Lao Tzu

Mark Nepo is one of my most favorite inspirational writers.  Generally, I can pick up any one of his books, and immediately tune in to what he is sharing.  This morning I chose his book, FINDING INNER COURAGE.  He was embracing cultural anthropologist, Angeles Arrien's theory about indigenous cultures sharing a common description of the cycle of experience.  "Though stated and honored in many ways, that central wisdom essentially says:  what is not integrated is repeated."  

Nepo refers to Arrien's work as 'the law of journey'.  He states that what we fail to experience or express during the course of our life will move through our hands, out onto the earth.  How I interpret what I learn or don't learn will be incorporated into my behaviors.  The point is the necessity to deal with whatever comes our way in that moment.  If we neglect it, it will simply return and the unresolved issue is carried through us to others.  When we find understanding in the pause of the moment, our wisdom is passed along rather than our broken conceptions.  

We always have choice, says Mark Nepo, to integrate and join what is brought to us or to hide and disintegrate.  What we face in ourselves will keep us from spreading it to others.  When we feel broken, we see the world as broken.  When we view our life as being full and joyful, we begin to see the world as full and joyful.

The goal is to maintain inner courage while facing our humanness and to integrate what we learn to strengthen the connection between all living things.  In order to 'present the same face to everyone' as Lao Tzu says, we are encouraged to join and integrate rather than hide and disengage.