So, I’m someone who likes to believe I have control over my own destiny, and all things
are possible to those who never give up.
However, sometimes in life that optimism gets tested, through challenges that you can’t
really comprehend, and when that happens it can be a challenge to get the faith back up.
I’ve had to learn how to do that recently, and I want to help those who also are dealing
with mental or spiritual battles.
Though, I want to lay off the specifics of what I went through, and have this video be
more general, so that it can relate to more people.
I want you to think of something that you are currently going through, that doesn’t
really make sense to you.
Maybe it’s an insecurity that you have, maybe it’s a disability of some sort, or
maybe it’s something weird or existential... like... what is an effective way to deal with mental challenges like these?
Well, lucky for us, there is an episode of Teen Titans that tackles that question quite
well, and today I will be using it to help me get my points across.
So in the episode, “Haunted,” Robin is caught off guard when he notices Slade’s return.
Slade is one of the biggest villains in the series, and the last time the Titans saw him,
he melted in boiling lava, so the chances of his survival would be very unlikely.
Robin, of course, is surprised by his revival, and immediately chases after him.
Strangely, Slade is unusually faster, stronger, and better than he typically is.
He’s also basically untouchable...
Leaving Robin feeling confused, frustrated, and annoyed.
What’s even more weird is the fact that Starfire, and the rest of the Titans have
trouble seeing Slade altogether.
Instead, they’re more concerned with why Robin is beating himself up.
In regards to physical conflicts like stubbing your toe, or breaking a tooth, it’s easy
to relate to those, because everyone can see the problem in broad daylight, but internal
conflicts are different because, of course, nobody has your mind.
Nobody sees the world the way you see it.
So it’s easy for his friends to assume it’s just his imagination playing tricks on him.
Though, they’re not completely wrong.
That’s what all fear is… imagination, and assumptions.
Our minds automatically fill in the gaps with what could happen, what might happen, or what
is happening in the given moment.
It’s very interesting.
I’m not sure who said it first, but some wise guy once said that “fear” is an acronym
for False Evidence Appearing Real.
Basically fear is a liar, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t come in handy.
Many times it protects us from doing something crazy, or stupid like jumping out of an airplane
without a parachute for example.
However, in other scenarios, it can cause us to overthink minor annoyances.
And in Robin’s case, it’s the absolute last thing he needs.
His stress levels literally go off the charts, putting him in great danger.
Which is understandable considering he doesn’t know what the hell is going on.
I’m not sure who quoted this one either, but I thought it sounded badass so why not
put it in the video?
“What we don’t understand, we fear.
What we fear, we judge as evil.
What we judge as evil, we attempt to control, and what we cannot control… we attack.”
Robin’s friends believe he’s cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, so he’s basically on his own.
This is a very emotional, and disappointing moment for him.
His friends are supposed to have his back.
Instead of meeting him half way and trying to understand his perspective on things, they
make him out to be some sort of liar, and as a result, he feels betrayed by them.
Now, this is a very important point I’m about to make.
When you’re going through a mental, or spiritual struggle, you want to have people that you
can rely on, that you can trust… that will actually understand your point of view, and
listen to what you have to say.
Talking to the wrong person will send you down the wrong path.
This person might judge you, take advantage of you, or question your sanity altogether,
and who has time for that?
So you can understand Robin’s frustration.
So then his friends lock him down on a bed, and plan to run tests on him.
Meanwhile Slade returns for round 4, making things even worse.
Not long after, Raven uses her badass magical powers to see the world through Robin’s
eyes, and what she discovers is that Robin was telling the truth all along.
While Slade is giving Robin the beating of his lifetime, he mistakenly taunts a bit too
much.
As a result, Robin notices something about Slade’s comments that turns his lightbulb
on.
No pun intended.
Robin turns on the lights, and Slade disappears.
He cracked the code.
He figured Slade out.
So here's the main point I want to make.
If you took nothing away from this video so far, remember this…
With any situation, whether it's a disability, an insecurity, or something spiritual, there
is always a way to overcome it.
There are always options, answers, and no matter what the problem is, you just have
to trust that the solution will be revealed to you in due time.
In these past couple of weeks, I had to learn how to trust the Universe more.
I had to learn how to trust people more, I had to learn how to put my ego to the side,
and admit that I don’t know everything there is to know about everything and ask for help.
I cannot stress this enough, when all else fails, try asking God for direction, and yes,
I know some of you watching this don’t believe in God or some higher force that created everything.
I’m not judging you, and you’re free to believe what you want to believe.
Though, wherever you stand, consider this… you have nothing to lose.
It’s also about patience.
The answers might not be revealed to you right away, and you have to be okay with that.
It’s a process.
It is speculated that in this episode Robin is suffering from PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder.
As this story demonstrates, mental illnesses, and disabilities of any kind, definitely has
its dark moments.
Although there is a motivating side to this dilemma.
There are millions of people on this planet who were born with a disability of some sort,
but what’s amazing is that there are also millions that didn’t allow that to stop
them from living a happy life.
So regardless of what life throws at you, control what you can control.
Don’t worry about what you can’t control.
Because that would give you more stress and anxiety that you don’t need, and that’s
what the enemy wants.
It wants you to be ashamed…
it wants to keep your vibration low, it wants you to hate your life.
And this enemy that I’m talking about is not some imaginary demon.
This enemy isn’t someone like Slade.
No.
The true enemy is fear itself…
It's our imagination playing tricks on us.
No matter how discouraging your thoughts can be, things aren’t as dark and gloomy as
they seem, and there is always a light if you’re determined to find it.
If you’re still able to crack a smile despite the struggle, then you’ve already won.
So, shine your light, shine your light as bright as you can, and the darkness will fade.
This was Made2Express…
Thanks for watching.