I know a man who lives in a world of fear. His life is composed of it. To know him is to witness a series of events that put him in danger and at the short end of the stick always getting the bad end of a deal or ‘ripped off.’ No one could convince him that the world is any other way because it is not so for him. He speaks the truth when he says that the world is unsafe and unfair - his truth. When given a chance to see abundance this man sneers and says “nothing is for free, you get what you pay for.” And so it is for him that everything comes at a steep price and he is the recipient of few gifts. Who would give to someone who hordes in expectation of lack? It is really no wonder at all that his world looks the way that it does. As a yogi I know that his reality is of his own creation. It is a world made by his attitude. When he has a chance to trust he chooses to tighten instead. When one tightens there is no space for anything to come in to. This mans expectation is a kind of ‘container’ and one of a certain pitch that seeks it’s own sort. And so the cycle continues.

“There is no greater illusion than fear,
no greater wrong that preparing to defend yourself,
no greater misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see through all fear will be safe.”
- Lao-Tzu, The Tao Te Ching

Fortunately I also know many people who can see beauty even in the midsts of great destruction. Beauty is always there, one just has to look. Often it hides in the ‘dark’ thing itself. Good, bad, right, wrong… these are reflections of the same one source which has been tuned by the perception of the receiver into the form which one chooses, that which we’ve made ourselves a container for. The fearful man will see a different reality from the one with an open heart. The one who sees abundance gives generously knowing there is always more. Logically this person finds themselves to be the recipient of many gifts. Have you ever noticed that when you treat a stranger with the expectation that they will be the best that you can imagine them to be, they will try to fill those shoes? People often need a container in which they can be something new, even new to themselves.

“Effect emptiness to the extreme…
From great antiquity forth they have known and possessed it…”
- Lao-Tzu, The Tao Te Ching

While there are situations in the world that are undeniably awful and seem to lack beauty, we can still hold a ’space’ for beauty. If mother nature, in defense of her own existence, reduced the earth’s population to half we could surely agree that horrific events were taking place. The same event can be viewed through another lens exposing a life rectifying itself by acting in accordance with its nature. Look into the eyes of the worst of criminal and you will find many explanations for his/her behavior. Keep looking and you will see a small child who once lived there. Look even further and you will notice that that child’s life began as energy. Energy moves. When containers are available it fills them. Will you make space for beauty or for fear? It is never too late to begin to see the former. The man of fear can become the one who generates beauty. A metamorphosis of this kind begins with awareness of habits. Tightening vs opening, hoarding vs giving, habits. Practices that bring the workings of the mind into view such as yoga or meditation are a wonderful start.

“There is something that is perfect in its disorder…”
- Lao-Tzu, The Tao Te Ching

Who could talk about beauty and chaos without reference to the Tao Te Ching? While the Tao might be called a ‘fluffy’ read, do remember that it invites the becoming of a warrior. May I suggest that you to consider that a warrior’s softness provides the strength needed begin to conquer the largest of problems? With an understanding of fear and beauty and a commitment towards the latter, conditions of the world will begin to reveal themselves and expose to you a more complete story than what can been seen on the surface - that which comes before the making of events. This second sight is a great gift that reveals not just the origins of a thing but also a cure.

“All in the world recognize the beautiful as beautiful”
- Lao-Tzu, The Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching: www.religiousworlds.com/taoism/ttc-list.html