Lightbulb – The Line

🎶 after you read - "Energy Budget" by Toni Jones

What does it mean to be human?

When I think of that question I think of the phrase, “I’m human”. A phrase someone would say, shrugging, after making a mistake. But how many mistakes can we blame on being human until we’re labeled bad, or wrong, or evil, even?

With practice, I’ve learned to interact with people by seeing the soul in them first. Well, let’s be honest, I’m still practicing. But what I’ve noticed so far is that there’s a line. A line I’m still determining exactly where to place. It’s the moment of establishing whether someone has chosen to lead with their soul or to lead with their mundane human mind. I hope that makes sense. Let me try to break it down.

When I think of someone who leads with their soul, that person has pure intentions which lead to making decisions that are not just right for them, but also for the betterment of all. This person believes in and sees the goodness in all things and people. This person feels all human emotions including anger, resentment, and jealousy, but they understand how to alchemize those emotions into feelings like joy, connection, and peace. And they do that without harm to themselves or the people around them. For example, the anger they display may come from a place of love and resolved with grace.

Someone who leads with their mundane human self or mind makes decisions without thinking of the consequences as long as it’s right for themselves. This person doesn’t understand or believe in the power of the soul. They see what’s in front of them. They crave material things, and they will obtain those things no matter who or what they harm. They also feel all human emotions, but they let the emotions lead to destruction. For example, the anger they display may come from a place of greed and resolved with disrespect.

Those two examples were the extreme opposites. Now let’s be a bit more real. I am both of those people. I am the person who leads with my soul in one person’s life story, and I am the person who leads with a mundane human mind in another person’s life story. Why? Because I’m human, and I have made mistakes.

So, I ask myself again, where do I place the line?

When I reflect on my own life experiences, my unethical moments and genuine ones, there are two things for certain. One, the unethical moments were lessons I needed to learn to become a better person, and two, I took action and grew into a better person because of them. I know those two things sound the same, but not everyone takes action to become a better person. Some people just never learn. Am I right?

And that is where I place the line. Evolution. Growth.

So yes, we are all human. We all make mistakes. But are you learning from those mistakes? Are you taking action to grow and evolve into a better human? That’s the line. Because we are all human whether we are leading from the soul or the mundane, the line is placed between the people who grow and the ones who don’t.

You see, I am a forgiving person. My parents taught me at a very young age that a human can make a catastrophic mistake and still be forgiven. But I’ve had enough, and I’m taking a different approach. I’m going through an experience right now of being hyperaware of the people around me, and in turn, I’ve become selective with who I surround myself with. I will forgive a person for my own wellbeing, but I will no longer allow that person in my space. This isn’t a story about cutting people off. That phrase alone gives me “the ick”. No. This is about the line. This is about the question, “Who are you?”. Do you lead with your soul or a mundane mind? Do you choose to evolve or regress?

I crave to be surrounded by people who lead with their soul. I’m not cutting people off to make it happen. I’m simply loving them from a distance, and welcoming my soul tribe.

With that said, I pray we all lead with our souls and find our soul tribe.

And so it is.