Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”
What does “daring adventure” bring to mind, for you? In younger years, I would imagine exotic international travel expeditions, or grand athletic, musical or artistic feats. Later, a daring adventure was becoming a mother, unschooling the kids, creating intentional community in alternative ways, choosing divorce to honor my soul, authentic self-employment, a raw vegan lifestyle, and leadership in that journey. Lately, a deepening spiritual journey, and truly conscious relationship feel like the landscape for my most daring present and future adventures.
How do you imagine a life of ‘nothing?’ For me, that would be a life in which I don’t feel alive inside, or aligned with a deep sense of meaning and purpose for my time here. Without daring adventure (whatever that means to each of us at different points in our lives), there is no meaningful growth, no real expansion, no inspiration, no quenching of the thirst for knowledge, no sense of personal victory and empowerment earned by finding the inner courage to take on life’s great challenges, and rise strong.
Another quote that I have loved and shared often is “Turn your face to the sun, and the shadows fall behind you.” (An African proverb.) This speaks to a simple skill of choosing to direct your attention on the light in life, and letting that lead you forward, rather than dwelling in the darkness and getting stuck there in victim-mode. But it has the potential to be misunderstood to mean don’t look at the darkness. Helen Keller’s words are my new favorite quote, because of the depth and richness they conjure up. Spoken by a woman who faced a level of daily challenge unimaginable to most of us.
It’s been said that change is the only thing we can count on, and that does ring true! (Though to be sure, I would say we can also count on the steady, eternal essence within us.) To “keep our faces toward change” is to quite literally FACE change straight-on, and work with it. Resisting change (or fate) usually brings us a great deal of pain and suffering. But my favorite line of all is, “to behave like free spirits in the presence of fate.” I find such beauty and power in that description!
How do we behave like free spirits in the presence of fate? What does that even mean? If fate is the things that happen in our lives that are beyond our control and can feel negative or present mighty challenges (such as the rather extreme example of Helen Keller’s inability to hear, see, or speak), what would it mean to behave like a free spirit anyway, no matter what befalls us outside of our control? I think we each have to answer that question in our own unique way. How does your free spirit show up in your life’s greatest challenges, especially those things that happen over which you do not have control?
I deeply relate to Helen’s words because my own life journey seems to be about keeping my spirit free through the deep challenges I have faced with physical and emotional pain on my journey. Resistance caused me great suffering for many years. It sure is tempting to feel angry or discouraged about debilitating injuries or extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Surrender, and the courage to keep my face toward change have truly been my tickets to behaving like a free spirit in the presence of fate. I now know what that feels like, and it has a sweetness more delicious than an easy life served on a silver spoon.
Finding out that I can rise strong, again and again - that in fact I PREFER to rise strong rather than to hope for rescue - and that I can welcome new challenges as new opportunities to lean into the experience of expanding and growing some more….this is what I think she means by “strength undefeatable.” I have learned to be inspired by the invitations to personal expansion and growth. I WANT this! I have learned to see this as the daring, and most rewarding, adventure of life. This adventure, like any worthwhile adventure, requires meeting challenges with the willingness to face change, and to find, develop, and celebrate my own resourcefulness and resilience.
Keeping my spirit free means that I will not let it get devoured by darkness, deception, disability, illness, or destruction at the hands of a weaker person. I will remember always that my spirit exists beyond the material world which is constantly shifting, and often out of my locus of control. This gives me strength to face what comes, and to use it for my own expansion on my adventurous spiritual journey. Marie Curie said, “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” We may not be able to understand all of what is happening around us, but if we understand the principles of keeping our spirits free while accepting fate, then we can face all of life with strength, courage, and inspiration.
Never before have we collectively faced such rapid and potentially destructive change as is unfolding around us globally right now. I can’t think of a more important time in our collective lifetimes to bring Helen Keller’s words to the forefront. These are both frightening and exciting times, for sure (have you ever noticed that fear and excitement carry nearly the same frequency of energy in your body?) So much appears to be spinning out of control…and yet the potential for radically new positive change, which could lead us in an entirely new direction, has never been greater. If we don’t behave like free spirits in the presence of fate, we risk losing everything that really matters to us.
Behaving like a free spirit means to me that I honor and follow my own inner guidance, rather than bending and compromising my truest values to blend with the crowd. It means that I am unafraid to speak my truth sincerely, or to share my discoveries open-heartedly. Behaving like a free spirit means that I choose to protect my physical, emotional and mental sphere from unnecessary negative forces and influences. It means that I consciously choose not to dim my natural light by merging with someone else’s fear.
In fact, I’ve come to see that behaving and choosing from my authentic inner free- spirited Self IS my path in life. Sometimes it feels like a hard path to walk, and other times it appears so obviously to be the easiest and happiest way! When I unschooled my children (no superimposed curriculum to adhere to), I invited their free-spirited natural selves to play and explore as they wished in the grand outer world….and not only did we have little conflict, but they also learned to navigate change and fate from the grounded natural frequency of a free spirit.
For anyone who questions whether this is a legitimate or responsible approach to life, in the context of getting along harmoniously in society and each doing our part, I would say that the definition of a conscious adult relationship is one in which each member takes 100% responsibility for their own lives. Anything else can be called an entanglement, in which there is inevitably a great deal of blaming, shaming, and projecting. Anyone able to view our current society from beyond, would instantly see a thick web of entanglements causing our collective suffering.
This does not mean that we don’t ask for help when we need it, or offer help to others who need it. It simply means that we do so responsibly, thus not victimizing ourself or another being. Imagine a world filled with strong, grounded, courageous, responsible, open-hearted, unique free-spirited people! I dream of that world, and I’ve decided that the best thing I can do to welcome it is to “keep my face toward change and behave like a free spirit in the presence of fate.”
If you enjoy my writings, and you would like support in applying these ideas in your own life journey, I invite you to schedule a free call with me to explore how I can help you move forward authentically.
Yes, love the idea of life as an adventure - thanks for emphasizing that during these, as yoiu say, challenging time.... - This video explores these themes of freedom, discipline, awareness, responsibility, love, etc., from the perspective of self-love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf9Q1e-2Hac