those who lived and those who died:
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
Our unique purpose is to find meaning, to understand the value of suffering, and to feel that we are responsible to something greater than ourselves. It is finding this satisfying life purpose that makes us happy rather than pursuing happiness itself. It is the pursuit of meaning that is paramount, which means devoting our lives to giving rather than taking. When we embrace our unique destiny and learn to serve, we exude energy and joy and so become a beacon of hope for others.
Harriet Tubman, a great icon of American freedom, was certainly a beacon of hope for others. Born a slave, she was frequently beaten and suffered a severe head wound that caused her health problems throughout her life. Her faith in God, however, was unshakeable.
In 1849, with hope in her heart and an image of a better life for herself, she had the courage to make a bid for freedom. Not content with that alone, she returned to rescue her family, gradually bringing them all to safety. With an even greater sense of purpose, she then guided dozens of slaves to freedom, traveling at night and on foot—helped by a network of activists—and avoiding the slave catchers. Her trust that God would keep her and those she was helping safe proved valid, for none of them was ever caught. She went on to rescue more than 750 slaves during the American Civil War.
In her later years, Harriet Tubman worked to promote the cause of women's suffrage. She died in 1913 at age ninety, and has inspired generations of black Americans struggling for equality and civil rights.
Her words remind us how important it is to create our meaningful vision of the future:
Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember, you have within you the
strength, the patience, and the passion to reach
for the stars to change the world.
I choose to change.
I nourish the spark of life I carry inside myself.
I have everything I need to change my world.
Chapter 2
Having conviction and holding on to our ideals
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so that you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.
—MAYA ANGELOU
Once we've set our internal compass toward a vision of a better future, there is less chance of us coming unstuck, even if we experience setbacks. We're buoyed up by hope, having faith in our dream, and even the smallest of events seems imbued with possibility. Instead of doubting and being fearful, we're able to use all our ingenuity and imagination to fathom out how to reach our goals. We've made a commitment to this undertaking, and we intend to see it through. As the poet Langston Hughes, the leading voice of the Harlem Renaissance, wrote, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
According to psychologist Charles R. Snyder, who came up with the “Hope Theory,” those of us who have hope have the will and determination to reach our goal, as well as the strategies to get there. Hope enables us to believe that we have the capacity to attain the future we've envisaged.
When the commitment to our vision is total, to the extent that we cannot turn back, we can move forward. When fully committed, we achieve the seemingly impossible because not only does commitment give us the necessary energy and self-belief, but we're also fueled by the unexpected help that always follows as an inevitable result. Goethe, the great German Romantic writer, described this process:
Until one is committed
there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,
always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiation (and creation)
there is one elementary truth
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself
Then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
That would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decisions
Raising in one's favor all manner
Of unforeseen incidents and meetings
And material assistance
Which no man could have dreamt
Would come his way.
We can also be inspired by what others have achieved, even against great odds, for it enables us to realize we are not alone in this process of trying to hold on to our ideals. Believing in ourselves, we can value the life we've lived so far that has given us experience and understanding. Knowing that our time on earth is limited, we can focus on our priorities and harness the power of intention. As our awareness develops, the life force can flow through us, and we can more easily access opportunities. While staying grounded, we also keep the faith and hold on to our ideals.
1. Breaking through our resistance and doubt
In spite of our decision to opt for hope and pursue our vision, we may at times find that our old habits of thought and feeling get in the way. When we encounter an unexpected stumbling block, our doubts and fears surface once again and lead us astray. How do we go about breaking through our resistant patterns?
We have to remind ourselves that the choice is ours. We are responsible for our thoughts and our actions, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Why revert to a way of thinking that has not served us well? Far better to go forward in hope, remembering that life is full of possibilities. Where we are is the result of choices we have made so far. Setbacks are merely the challenges that, as we consider and deal with them, make us stronger and more determined to achieve our goals.
Amelia Earhart, the American pioneer aviator, knew from the moment she first went in a plane in 1920 that she absolutely had to fly. She had emerged from a troubled childhood longing to be a successful woman. Her hospitalization with pneumonia resulted in chronic sinusitis, which later became a significant handicap to her flying. But Amelia was not going to let anything like that hold her back from achieving her dream and becoming “Queen of the Air.” She had to work hard at a variety of jobs to save enough money for flying lessons, and she had various sinus operations to try to improve her condition. Undeterred, she went on to make her first solo flight across North America, and she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. There must have been occasions when she had her doubts, but she clung tenaciously to her dream.
