#11 How to Harness the Darkness

So we talked about the one rule and how rules don’t push you towards doing good, but keep you from becoming truly evil. So how do we tap into that force to do good things? I think it’s part discipline, part passion. Today, I want to learn how to tap into both. 

When I say passion, I don’t just mean that fiery emotion that rises up in the heat of the moment. Although we should all have that rising urge to shout “SWEAR TO ME” as we interrogate dirty cops (that’s still one of my favorite lines in the entire franchise. Gets me every time,) we should be so driven to be a force for change that it makes us want to dedicate ourselves to a cause. So yeah, that passion will be there. But instead of making it a wildfire that makes us act rashly, we need to plant that passion deep inside ourselves like a seed in the ground, growing it into a tree that becomes a refuge, a beacon of hope for all to cling to. 

Well, that sounds nice on paper, but how do we put this into practice? I think the first step is to really observe the world. What is it missing? What feels missing inside of you? What does this world need more of that you are able to bring to it? For me, that thing has always been guidance. We often act like we are on this planet to fend for ourselves. We have such a “you do you” mentality that we never get any real wisdom. We don’t offer advice, we say “well, it’s up to you.” It makes me sick! There is a good and a bad way to do things in life. There is a way that leads to good results, and a way that leads you down the drain. Sure, sometimes you have a few good options, but even then, there is a wise and a foolish way to go about things. 

On top of this, there are real answers to our questions. Answers beyond “it’s kind of your call,” or “it just depends.” It bothers me that all this guidance isn’t being spread, and that everyone is forced to fend for themselves. Yes, we have to find our own paths, but that doesn’t involve playing the lone wolf. Mistakes are still mistakes, and we don’t all have to make the same ones. Wisdom is there for the taking, and we have locked her up in a cage and drowned her at the bottom of the lake. 

And that bothers me enough to plug in and write every day, to fight to make something of the answers I have found. I tell you all of this not to get on my soapbox to preach, but to give you a tangible example of what I’m talking about. Take some time to live your life and to be open to being angry and uncomfortable. Don’t hide from the world, go see it! And when something really disturbs you about the way the world is, take note of it. Jot it down on your phone or send it to a friend. Then find a way to make it your life’s mission to put a stop to that bad thing. 

And that’s where discipline comes in. You can’t rely on passion to get you through everything because it’s very likely that you will feel a lot of things as you start to get going. You may feel scared at how big a thing you want to do. You may feel so angry that you want to do something rash (hence the “one rule” thing,) and you may even feel burnt out after a while. You must become disciplined in life to be who you must be to make a difference, to the point where you are willing to cast even your preferences and normal ways of doing things aside. 

So take some time to live your life and take note of things that bother you. Pray that God speaks to you about the change that He wants you to be. Write down some times that you remember being angry. Try to see similarities between all of those times. You’ll find your purpose and you will find your fight. It’s in there, I promise. I pray that God plants a cause deep inside of you, and that He will grow it into the mighty tree that you were meant to be. I pray that you give Him room to work and the courage to pursue your cause with passion.

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.