What does it truly mean to sustain something?
Sustain comes from the latin root words that mean ‘from below‘, to ‘hold’.
- bear (the weight of an object) without breaking or falling.
- undergo or suffer (something unpleasant, especially an injury).
- cause to continue or be prolonged for an extended period or without interruption.
If we really analyze the definition, to sustain something seems to be contradictory to keeping something alive.
Think about it, Life happens because of its duality… death.
In order for things to grow effectively, old things must pass away. We must let go of the things that no longer serve the highest good of the goal. If the goal is life, we must allow death to occur.
If we are simply sustaining life… we are bearing the weight of life, we aren’t living. We are undergoing suffering so that we can prolong life.
To cause something to continue or be prolonged for an extended period of time takes away from the natural order of things and disrupts the balance, with or without intent.
What does this mean for the idea of being self-sustaining?
Some people think being self-sustaining means to be able to take care of your life on your own. However by the previous definition, to be self sustaining would mean to hold yourself back, and to allow yourself to suffer for an extended period of time.
So perhaps when we speak of being able to be self staining
we actually mean to be self sovereign.
Sovereign comes from the Latin word super, which means ‘above‘. Amazing how changing one word changes so much!
Sovereign means:
- possessing supreme or ultimate power.
- acting or done independently and without outside interference.
- possessing royal power and status.
- very good or effective.
When we say self-sovereign, we mean to possess ultimate power of self and to do so independently. Its interesting that the archaic definition was to possess royal power or status. We all possess a power that only we have, and it’s what this journey is all about. Knowledge of self… exploration of self through creative expression.
This is not to say that sometimes being self-sustaining isn’t important. We must all ground ourselves in order to be reminded of our power and the ability we have to create a beautiful world with our actions.
Remember in the beginning was the word… let’s be impeccable with our words and use them wisely.
