“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.”
- Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson's famous quote really reminded me of our discussion about responsibility for the other. In our busy world today, we always seem to ask ourselves why we should have to be men and women for others. We fail to understand that only being interested in our own selves allows us to only live a limited life. To be interesting means to be interested in other people. The line, "And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same", reminds me that I have to be there for the other in order for both of us to succeed. By allowing others to enter my life and not hesitating to help them, I unconsciously let them shine in my own presence. I unconsciously say that I am indeed here for them and in turn I surrender myself into doing something for the other. The line, " 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." reminds me not to block myself out from the other because the other comes into my life because of the infinite. The infinite is inside all of us. We are attracted to the other because the overwhelming presence of the infinite. God is within all of us and he calls us to be men and women for others because the other is not an annoying disturbance. When we allow the other to enter our lives, we are forced to go out of our comfort zones to make room for their presence. As we allow them to enter into our lives, we are compelled to let their light shine to us because we cannot grasp them. Since they have the infinite inside of them, the other is the only person capable of revealing their light to us and make their otherwise invisible face visible.
