It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that there are very few universal truths and that for most of our lives we’re just kinda following the tribe and hoping that our lives work out the way we want them to. Social mores derive from our tribal scripts. And the ones that resonate the most with the tribal council (parents, grandparents, etc) become the values we’re expected to accept and live by.

So if we can’t vote the members of the tribal council off the island, can we vote to leave ourselves?

There’s no doubt that we’ve learned valuable information from the tribe. We understand that touching a hot stove is painful. And hopefully we’e been taught the importance of love, respect, courage, etc. But in so many other areas of our lives, really important areas, we’ve accepted the tribe’s default positions on important issues as our own. So when we dare to color outside the lines (take chances the tribal council members aren’t comfortable with) we risk incurring the wrath of the tribe. But in the end, the phrase “no risk no reward” seems accurate.

Author William James said, “It is only by risking ourselves from one hour to another that we live at all.”

That’s the deal! We have to risk, if we want to be true to who we are and honor our purpose for being on this planet. Otherwise, we’re just going along doing the same thing our tribe is doing and expecting different results. And that’s no way to live.

Every one of us has the requisite courage, faith, talents and gifts we need to live out our calling on this earth. We just have to begin by believing in ourselves.   

And as far as voting ourselves off the island is concerned, I hear Aruba’s nice this time of year!

Carpe Diem