So That You Can Stand
Radical love is still counter cultural.
Compassion for all is still counter cultural.
Human dignity before profit margins is still counter cultural.
Recognizing political conflict as two boys fighting in the schoolyard writ large, and ending it accordingly? Still counter cultural.
Shining your light fiercely, like a child on May Day? Still counter cultural.
Brazen, unapologetic idealism? Still counter cultural.
We do personal growth work to improve the quality of our lives,
but we also do it for this:
to let go of the fear of not fitting in,
to see how we cling to a safety that doesn’t serve the world,
to learn to lean in to that whisper in your chest,
to unleash the original, loving self, the one blazing to heal.
In other words: to birth a you who can stand to be counter cultural.
Who can stand in your living room, in your child’s school gymnasium, or on CNN,
wherever you are called to do it.
To birth a you that knows her mission.
To know it quietly, when you are stirring the batter in the kitchen.
To know it when you kiss your children at night.
To know it when the moments come that ask you
to be voice, or a messenger, or a crazywoman
for love.
***
Thank you to the remarkable Jen Louden for her post today, “You Are Called” which inspired this. Thank you also to the wonderful Rachelle Mee Chapman for highlighting the conversation about “soul care and it’s relationship to world care.”
Tara Sophia Mohr is a writer, life coach, and the author of Wise Living blog. Click here to subscribe to the blog by RSS, or here to receive it via email.
This is so true and so fantastic. I aspire to be counter cultural. To find the voice in my heart, to work from a place of unconditional love, to live. Thank u so much for spreading the light. Great stuff
Hi Tara. I’m so glad I read your post today. I also read your recent post at the Huffington Post, about saving the world. I have to say, your Huff Post piece left me with a feeling of sheer despair. Honestly, after I’ve made the school lunches, packed the school bags, made breakfast, organized school clothes, dressed myself, fought the traffic, dropped off, gone to work, picked up, fought the traffic, made dinner, supervised homework, organized baths, cleaned teeth, found clean pyjamas with all (or most) of their buttons, read stories, listened to stories, tucked off to sleep, and then tackled my husband’s bookworm, really, I don’t have much left for saving the world. And, I know that’s churlish, shortsighted, self-limiting. But it’s how I felt. And now, you’ve given me the answer. Saving the world isn’t in the things I do, it’s in the way I do them. I get it. Thanks. Topi
Oh, and it’s my husband’s bookWORK that I tackle, but now I’ve made myself laugh, so that’s the gift that keeps giving! Have a lovely day Tara,
Topi
Found you through Danielle LaPorte and have to say your words are GORGEOUS. They are poetry that open and unfurl the heart. I read your post from over a year ago about The Great Love and felt profound kinship. Three years ago I started the Hello Love Experiment which is simply the practice of greeting one another (silently or not) with Hello Love. It’s a home spun Namaste. But every one of your words about The Great Love were words that showered me with grace and uplifted me. Thank you for this beautiful Blog. Big love, Heidi Rose
Beautiful post, Tara.
I watched a documentary last nigh about Daniel Ellsberg, the man who released the Pentagon Papers in the ’70s. I wondered why of the 100s of people who knew the truth about the Vietnam War, this one man risked everything to expose the lies.
The counter cultural is so scary. So superficially isolating. But I continue to do the work “to unleash the original, loving self” so that I “… know it when the moments come that ask (me) to be voice, or a messenger, or a crazywoman for love.
Thank you for the reminder.
Love & blessings, Lisa
[...] Louden with You are Called Tara Sophia Mohr with You Can Stand Heather Plett with About [...]
This is beautiful, Tara. “…to be a voice, or a messenger, or a crazywoman for love”… I think that needs to be my new mantra!
This is so beautiful. Lisa MB (who already commented) shared that last line w me. Madly in love with that. I am on a fierce mission to say the things I’m supposed to say (I’m a messenger) And I AM A CRAZY WOMAN FOR LOVE!
Beautiful. Thank you Megan. I remember exploring your site a few months back and enjoying it, so it’s lovely to see you here. Yes to crazywomen for love!
Tara
Thank you Heather. I’m so glad this spoke to you.
I love that this hits you like a mantra….we all have that instinct to be warriors for love, I think, and then we second guess. You are so clearly hearing and rising to the call now. I can’t wait to hear more about your journey as it unfolds.
Yes! Thank you Lisa. I think I heard about that documentary – supposed to be amazing. It is incredible to see the stories of these courageous whistleblowers. I felt the same way recently watching food inc and seeing the chicken farmer who risked her business to speak her truth about what was going on.
It is scary to be countercultural, but on the other hand (and this goes to “10 Rules for Brilliant Women post from a couple weeks ago) when we share our unique voices, often the world meets us in ways we couldn’t expect. I’ve had that experience many times of choosing to be more blunt, to say the controversial thing, etc. and people being so delighted that someone brought something new and interesting into the space. Our inner critics tell us saying that stuff will be disastrous, but often they are wrong.
Thanks for reading, and commenting, and being you!
t
Hi Topi,
Oh no! Despair?! I never want to write anything that leaves anyone with a feeling of despair. Your comment is really interesting feedback for me. I want to simmer on it more, but for now to say, thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad this post gave you a new way in to this topic.
I will say this -I do think it’s a problem that women’s lives are so demanding in terms of the caretaking of their families that we end up feeling like we have no time or energy left to give to the broader world. We have to do something about that! And it’s for men too – many men feel so caught in the daily grind and their word demands they don’t have time for other important projects either. I don’t know whether that’s about husbands doing more or work becoming more reasonable or simplifying the running of a modern household or self-care for women or childcare or what…but I do think we need to do something about it!
Hugs to you,
t
I’m guessing you already are countercultural and that it’s just about letting that come through fully and boldly.
Love to you,
Tara
Topi – Yes, there’s something very odd and icky sounding about tackling one’s husband’s bookworm…I’m laughing with ya.
Hey Tara,
We must be on similar “letting go” wavelengths. I latched onto this line of yours “In other words: to birth a you who can stand to be counter cultural.”
This is the key! Keep looking for your own path. Sometimes we get on it, then somehow it feeds into the beaten one. It requires being hyper-vigilant about staying on our own, no matter how much enticement we get to step off it.
Compassion is SO counter-cultural. Just not promoted for some reason. Instead we are told to threaten and carry a big stick.
Futile.
Thx G.