Oracle of Consciousness
# 4 - Courage
The root of the word courage is from latin - 'cor' - meaning heart.
So the true meaning of courage is performing an action from our heart.
I recently met such a young man who personifies courage and heart-centredness in such a deeply profound way.
Meet 'Miami' Tyrell Morton, a millennial from Richmond Virginia, USA, who since 2015, has endured a rare condition entitled Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) disease.
VHL disease is an inherited, genetic condition, starting in early adulthood.
People with VHL may develop tumours in their brain, spinal cord, eyes, kidneys, pancreas and adrenal glands. These tumours are most often benign, i.e. not cancerous.
Tyrell, as he prefers to be called, has undergone three brain surgeries, spinal cord surgery, double hip replacement, has half of his pancreas removed, and was paralysed from the neck down on multiple times.
He now uses a walker to get around and had to be carried over our pathway stones by his driver, from his car to my office.
Despite his ever-present pain, discomfort and lack of mobility, Tyrell is filled with love and gratitude.
These days he travels the world as a guest speaker inspiring school kids, prisoners and anybody who will sit still long enough to hear his compelling story.
There is no victimhood in his dialogue, even though since 2015 he has lost both his parents, grandparents and younger bother.
Perhaps a lesser man would have given up a long time ago, but not Tyrell, he is driven by passion and purpose.
This is what courage
looks and feels like!
And the irony is, each and every one of us has this quality embedded in our hearts, for courage is an outward manifestation of love.
Tyrell came to Bali to find some relief from his lack of mobility.
Think about that for a moment.
As a realist, he didn't arrive to seek out some magic potion, or an 'Eat-Pray-Love' healer who could wave his or her skilful wizardry upon his disease to make it disappear overnight.
No, all he is seeking is to to improve his mobility so he can travel more freely and widely, in order to impact the lives of a greater number of people!
This is called selfless service, which emanates from the heart and has been said when outwardly expresses in action, to be the highest form of consciousness.
Courage and bravery requires us to step out of our comfort zone.
I was taken aback at the challenging number of courageous steps along his life's path this brave man has taken thus far.
Against all odds, through physical, mental and emotional pain, he remains a pillar of strength and determination.
He is ever-grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to serve and this is manifested in his hearty and infectious laughter.
How do we activate our courage you may well ask?
Knowing that courage and bravery are acts of love, then simply put, we need to open our hearts to reveal the love that lies within.
Oh, it is there alright, maybe buried under a ton of mental or emotional pain or anguish, but somewhat surprisingly, the heart remains unscathed by what life may dish up to us.
"But my heart is broken", you may protests!
And I would say, from my own experience, that our heart remains intact, undamaged and only the mind is scarred.
The mental stories, real or unreal that we carry around and sometimes regurgitate, is the culprit and the actual source of our pain.
This does not in any way invalidate or contradict the actual trauma we may have experienced, that is real.
However, our minds tend to embellish or repeatedly recite the actuality, making it far worse than it was and often we turn this around in self-sabotaging thought processes, which we carry around as a story for the rest of our lives.
"Thoughts become things."
Those thoughts and stories we replay in our head, can often result in physical pain and discomfort, so-much-so that it feels like our heart is broken.
It is not!
Our heart is the portal to the infinite consciousness that we are at the core.
This brave and courageous man, found his pot of gold, not at the end of the rainbow, but in his heart.
You too can do the same.
Courage and bravery are
acts of love.
Tyrells' sole source of income is entirely dependent on donations he receives from generous people who support his cause.
If you feel inclined, you may make a contribution via PayPal here:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lifemademenumb?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Previous articles:
EGO - Friend or Foe
Love is the Answer
Finding Wisdom