Living Courageously in the World

How many of us felt small and insignificant as children when we were told, “Don’t get too big for your britches” or “Who do you think you are?” Conversely, how pleasantly surprised were you when you responded to a situation with strength and confidence and marveled, “I can’t believe I just said that!”

This last reaction is the essence of the red latifa shining through, a quality needed on the inward journey in order to challenge our assumptions and patterns around being big, vibrant, and alive. It stokes our interest and our vigorous engagement with the world, making us feel courageous and daring, and helping us come truly and resplendently into our own.

Other blocks to inhabiting our “bigness” can arise as we explore the red latifa: Feeling small and helpless in the face of the overwhelming scale of the world’s difficulties. Having judgements around our aggression (i.e. it makes others uncomfortable or it’s an expression of hatred and, therefore, bad). Even ideas we have about enlightenment, such as the belief that the goal is to transcend our everyday existence, can obscure the force of the red latifa.

In the Diamond Approach, we expect nothing and welcome everything. So, when we get fired up about something, we ask: What would happen if we didn’t push that feeling away or become attached to it? What if we didn’t judge ourselves for our fieriness? What might be revealed not only about us, but about the might, vigor, and vitality of all reality?