Author: Susan Schulte

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” When I read this quotation by poet, singer, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, I thought about how courage is required of us for what might be considered relatively minor situations as well as for more serious ones. Something I experienced many years ago is an example of this.

Within the first year that I began meeting with a Jungian psychotherapist, reading books about Jungian concepts, and recording my dreams, I had this dream: I see some people sitting around a table and there is a platter in the middle of the table with a pig on it that appears to have been cooked. One of the people picks up a carving knife and begins cutting a slice of the meat, and the pig moves and makes a sound. To my horror, I realize the pig isn’t dead. I understood this dream to be inner direction to stop eating meat, and I have been a vegetarian since having the dream 30 years ago.

It took courage for me to become a vegetarian, not because it was difficult to stop eating meat, but because of criticism for my decision from people I care about. I grew up in a rural town where farming and raising animals to be sold for meat were the main occupations and sources of income. My grandparents farmed and my father had farmed as a young man. So my father found it especially hard to understand why I would make this decision, and he made efforts to change my mind. I love my father and I think he might also have been concerned that a person couldn’t be healthy without eating meat. Even though I was in my 30s, my father’s opinions still affected me, and it wasn’t easy to go against his ideas of what was best. Other family members and some friends also questioned my choice.

So, as I said, it took some courage for me to stay with my decision. None of my friends were vegetarians so I felt somewhat alone. But I also was certain this was what I was supposed to do. I began reading about the benefits of not eating meat—which are many—and I noticed I had more energy. I know I’m a healthier person because I haven’t eaten meat for many years, and I’ve never questioned that it was the right thing for me to do.

There are many acts of courage of far greater significance than staying with a personal decision that is not understood by people we care about. However, being brave in the “smaller” life situations helps to prepare us to be more courageous when confronting the larger challenges.

Jungian thought includes the idea of individuation, the life-long process of becoming the unique persons we were each created to be. Following the guidance of our inner voice requires courage and, as Maya Angelou said, having courage is the basis for living the many other virtues.

“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.” Helen Keller wrote these words, a woman who when she was 19 months old had an illness that resulted in her becoming both blind and deaf. With the assistance and companionship of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, Helen learned to read, write, and speak, and eventually she became a famous speaker, author, and philanthropist who positively affected the lives of many people.

Helen Keller’s words are particularly significant to me because she is someone who, despite not being able to hear or see, strove to develop the many other abilities she had. It’s hard for me to imagine how difficult that would have been and the patience and courage it took for her to persevere. I often struggle to understand why there is so much suffering in our world. I feel for people who have disabilities, who are the victims of abuse, who live in war-torn areas—the list goes on. On a more personal level, I have struggled to accept challenges I’ve needed to face, challenges that, although difficult, have not been as difficult as those of many other people.

So I derive hope from Helen Keller and other people I respect, and I strive to be brave and patient during the trying times in my life.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men [and women] light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men [and women], that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (I added the bracketed words.)

These verses 14 through 16 from chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew are among those writings in the Bible that are most meaningful to me. They are Matthew’s record of some of Jesus’ many teachings. Although my family attended Sunday church services regularly when I was a child and I heard many Bible readings and many sermons based on those readings, it wasn’t until I was in my 30s that they began to have personal meaning for me.

At first glance, it might seem that people being told they are the light of the world could cause them to have too high of an opinion of themselves. But the words are not directed to one person or just certain people. They are directed to all of us. Every one of us has something to offer, talents to share, ways of helping others, gifts to give.

I was shy as a child and I had a tendency to walk behind others, such as when my family was walking somewhere or for school activities. I was shy about being in front, and I wonder if, at an unconscious level, I thought I wasn’t good enough to be in the front. Although I’m no longer as shy and I had enough self-confidence to do well in school and in the jobs I’ve had, some of that “don’t be first” tendency is still a part of me. So when I was prompted by my dreams and by synchronicities to start writing a blog, I found it very difficult to begin. There was that part of me that didn’t believe I had anything to share, that didn’t believe I could write in a way that “let my light shine.”

Because I believe our dreams are from the Creator, and therefore it is essential for all of us to try to follow dream direction, I did begin writing this blog. Writing my blog is vital to my personal growth. It is also a way for me to try to help those who read it to have hope and to grow as individuals. For every one of us has ways to shine by doing good works using the talents and blessings we have been given.

In my work as a crisis line counselor, I receive calls from women and men of all ages and often from adolescents too. Each person is calling for assistance, emotional support, and sometimes resource information to deal with whatever difficulty prompted them to call. Sometimes they are calling about something that happened to them just recently, and sometimes it is about ongoing problems. Capable counselors need to have the qualities of compassion, empathy, being nonjudgmental, and being able to give each person who calls their complete attention.

Actually, all of us should strive to develop these qualities. What a difference that would make in our world! It would become a far better place, one interaction at a time. And not only would we help to make the world better for others but also for ourselves. For as the Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” These words by Mother Teresa are a good reminder to try our best to use each day well. Whatever our situation, we have been given the ability to do those things that are in our power to do, and we should value that gift.

“Yesterday is gone.” We are all human and therefore we are all imperfect. We make mistakes and have regrets. It’s important for our motivation and for our emotional well-being to not let those regrets keep us from using the present day well. When fitting and possible, we need to apologize and make amends, do what we can to right a wrong that we caused, and then move forward. If we’re regretting not starting or completing a task, we now have the present day to do that.

“Tomorrow has not yet come.” Looking forward to future occasions and activities can add to the joy of living. Some examples are having plans to visit people we care about who we seldom get to see or attending our child’s sports event or dance performance. Enjoy such anticipations but make effective use of each day as well. “Tomorrow has not yet come” also reminds me how it is sometimes tempting to put things off without having a good reason for doing so. To help avoid this, I remind myself how good it feels to accomplish things, to know they’re taken care of and off my mind, and to feel the satisfaction of a job well done.

“Let us begin.” Often taking that first step releases the energy to continue an endeavor. This is especially true when we are trying to follow direction from within. Mother Teresa’s words “Let us begin” also remind me that our Creator forgives us when we make mistakes and always makes it possible for us to begin again. And those of us who pay attention to our dreams know that when we do not discern the message of a dream that is directing us to do certain actions, we will be given additional dreams that try again to get our attention. The Self wants what is best for us and gives us chances to begin again. Thank goodness. For many of us, myself included, need additional prompting. Trying to do what we hear our inner voice guiding us to do through intuition, sychronicities, and our dreams leads to a sense of peace and well-being.

In my work as a crisis line counselor, I have spoken with many women and men who have told me they have mental illness. The diagnoses I’ve heard most often are depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Many of the callers have told me they have a therapist and a psychiatrist, and some attend group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some have told me they have needed to be hospitalized at times.

I recently came across an Amish proverb that caused me to think about people who deal with the challenges of mental illness: “Instead of putting others in their place, put yourself in their place.” There is much need for more empathy in our world, including for people who have mental health problems. I am often impressed by the efforts people make to deal with their symptoms by doing coping skills, attending individual therapy and support groups, and practicing self-care, including healthy nutrition and exercise. For the more severe diagnoses, taking medication as prescribed also helps to manage their symptoms. Similar to having a physical illness such as diabetes where people need to monitor their blood sugar and do what is necessary to maintain a healthy level, people with mental illness need to notice when their symptoms increase and do self-care or coping techniques to help to manage them. This requires being aware and being motivated. Some people who call the crisis line talk about how overwhelming dealing with their mental illness is and the discouragement they sometimes feel.

It concerns me that many people who have the good fortune of not having mental illness have no idea what it is like for people who do, and therefore have no appreciation of the effort many people put into trying their best to take care of themselves. Too often people make generalizations and display little, if any, empathy. And too often this ignorance adds to the stigmatization of mental illness, another challenge callers have told me adds to their burden.

Through this post I want to acknowledge the women and men who struggle with mental illness and to applaud all that they do to cope and care for themselves. For I, and I’m sure many other people, are truly impressed by them.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” I remind myself of this quotation by Mother Teresa from time to time. When I hear or read about some of the heartbreaking things that happen in our world, I sometimes feel discouraged. I question whether I and others can help to make our world a better place. And then I remember that whatever each of us does, when it is done with love, truly does matter.

On Thanksgiving Day some friends of mine volunteered to deliver meals prepared by a program for low-income and homebound people. Where I work some of my coworkers are collecting donations they will use to purchase gifts for children from low-income families who otherwise would not receive presents for the holidays. At the assisted living facility where my mother lives, I see adults spending time with their parents who live there and bringing items that their parents need. There are many additional examples of small things done with great love. And each of those things can mean so much to the person receiving them.

I visit my elderly mother several times a week. Each time she sees me her face brightens and she gives me a big smile. My visits to her are a small thing that I do out of love for her, and I in turn am the recipient of her love for me.