Run towards the roar

We and the animals of the jungle know this.  However, the reality is that as the Lion rules, he also ages and every day the lion wakes up, he must defend his right to rule. As he grows older more and more animals attack his throne.

Even his closest relatives, the young and vivacious lion cubs begin an attempt to overthrow him. The entire jungle is against the lion, yet he is able to hold onto his reign.

How? Simple: He continues to roar.

As a lion gets older the mane becomes tattered, the teeth begin to fall out, his speed and ability to chase prey falters. The lion has only one form of protection left, his roar. As the younger lions challenge his rule or hunt his gazelles, he roars and they retreat.

The beauty of a human response vs. that of an animal is that animals can only react, they cannot reason that all that is left is a roar!

Tragically, even as humans, when it comes to change, trials, struggles, or other hurdles often all we often forget that fact, and all we hear is the roar. We might start with great aspirations but when we stumble or trip, we stop as we react in fear.

I love how author Michael Meade puts it:

Clearly, there are real fears and wild uncertainties in this rapidly changing world. There are also many trying to capitalize on other people’s fears or feed the fears of others. The tendency to panic, as an individual or as part of the herd can suddenly strike anyone. Everyone feels some fear when panic is in the air. Robert Cialdini calls this the ‘click-whirr’ in his factors of Influence book; when an event happens [click] there is an immediate impulse [whirr].

Faith & Fear Can be Guideposts

They can be our channel markers for which way we are growing both need to be addressed, by the living out of our lives.

Faith brings clarity of what needs to be risked for a greater life to be found. When people ask what to do as life, work and relationships become increasingly filled with uncertainty, changing norms,  they eventually discover that blind reactions don’t work! Faith is about finding your sense of clarity which enables a ‘respond’ approach and not a ‘react’ one.

The animal reaction to the crisis is the ‘fight, flight, freeze, appease’ reaction. There is no conscious thinking involved with because it is a biological reaction. Humans are uniquely wired to be able to override this reaction through values, training, and practice. We have a choice in where we go.