by Charles Barnard
Elevating the human spirit has been an ongoing challenge for mankind. For a long time, I pondered, theorized, and maybe even pontificated the idea that the Bible is right when it claims that since the fall of mankind sin has been passed down to all subsequent generations. While my intent is not to profess some theological proposition, I acknowledge my profession probably cannot be construed any other way.
The proposition is for eons mankind has struggled with loving ourselves; we have struggled to elevate the human spirit. We lie to ourselves constantly. We tell ourselves, “I am ugly, cowardly, unwanted, unworthy, stupid, weak, superior, more righteous…,” and a host of other negative, false, or limiting beliefs. I hear this far too often from children and adults alike. I have been guilty of this plenty of times in the past and probably will be in the future. Elevating the human spirit can be done by applying HEAT.
My observation is when we are commanded to love thy neighbor as thyself, we do. We “love ourselves” by believing lies and acting accordingly. We then love our neighbor the same way. Haven’t we all observed the same thing?
How do we change that? How is elevating the human spirit possible?
The answer to that question most definitely can become theological in nature, but because I accept the presupposition that these character traits of love seem to be valued the world over regardless of theological views, I propose that people need to:
Be patient with themself, so they can be patient with their neighbor.
Be kind to themselves – not just not unkind, so they can be kind to their neighbor.
Be humble, so they can treat their neighbors with humility.
Be not full of themselves, so they can have compassion.
Be slow to get angry at themself, so they can be slow to get angry at their neighbor.
Forgive themself, so they can forgive their neighbor.
Rid themself of the lies they tell themself, so they can be truthful with their neighbor.
Do not dishonor themself, so they won’t dishonor their neighbor.
Protect truth and justice so they can protect their neighbor.
Be hopeful in their own life, so they can peddle hope to their neighbor.
Be perseverant in their own life, so they can help their neighbor persevere.
Love themself, so they can love their neighbor as they love themself.
How do we accomplish this feat of elevating the human spirit? Work on the mindset of a champion arch. Build a foundation of love. Build the piers of faith and faithfulness. Lay the voussoirs of family, friendships, mind, and body, then place the keystone – the spirit of a champion.
By champion, I refer not only to someone who is striving to “win” at life, which presupposes not only that you can win or lose, but also that there is something to win, but I also am referring to championing a cause.
What cause do you champion? Are you championing the cause of elevating the human spirit? What do you stand for? As the famous quote from Alexander Hamilton (maybe others before?) says, “if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
Create a statement of what you stand for. I stand for the Truth, justice, and liberty all terms that admittedly can be nebulous and need regular clarification because they are rooted in moral law which is not always easy to express clearly. It is something I do daily.
If you choose to create an I stand for… statement, will you share it? You can share it at the bottom of this page. I encourage you to do so, it makes it stronger and we all benefit from seeing what others stand for. Elevating the human spirit begins with the individual working on themself. It demands being more loving as love elevates, it does not devalue. It demands knowing what is true.
Let me share the lyrics to John Denver’s song “What One Man Can Do.”
I suppose that there are those
Who’ll say he had it easy
Had it made in fact
Before he’d even begun
But they don’t know the things I know
I was always with him
It may sound strange
We were more than friends
It’s hard to tell the truth
When no one wants to listen
When no one really cares
What’s going on
And it’s hard to stand alone
When you need someone beside you
Your spirit and your faith
They must be strong
What one man can do is dream
What one man can do is love
What one man can do is change the world
And make it young again
Here you see what one man can do
As shaded as his eyes might be
That’s how bright his mind is
That’s how strong his love
For you and me
A friend to all the universe
Grandfather of the future
And everything I would like to be
What one man can do is dream
What one man can do is love
What one man can do is change the world
And make it young again
Here you see what one man can do
What one man can do is dream
What one man can do is love
What one man can do is change the world
And make it young again
Here you see what one man can do
Our actions, which reveal our character, are related to our deepest held values and beliefs among other factors.
We humans can be callous.
We can be malicious.
We are flawed.
We struggle.
We feel.
We can change.
We can be compassionate.
We humans can be loving.
As John Denver wrote. We can dream. We can love. We can change the world. We can make it young again.
Elevating the human spirit is not only possible; elevating the human spirit is our responsibility. Loving our neighbor as ourself is our responsibility.
It requires taking a stand, which is hard if you don’t know what you stand for, or have the courage to stand, especially when you find yourself standing alone.
My goal, my purpose, is to help teach and coach people in applying habit, emotion, attitude, training (HEAT) to their lives, so they can build that mindset of a champion arch and thereby elevating the human spirit. I am especially interested in high school and college aged people because they are ideally situated to dedicate the time it takes. They are after all spending most of their time learning and training. I will not limit my coaching to that population. Anyone who is ready to commit, and it is a commitment, to go down this road with me is welcomed.
One of the great privileges I have as a teacher and coach is teaching and coaching others impacts me at least as much as those I teach and coach. My experiences with all of my former students and clients over the years have had a profound impact on my own journey. If any of you ever decide you want to begin that journey as well, please reach out. There is really no reason you can’t not only make the commitment but see that commitment through. For any of my Facebook friends who are reading this, I will definitely make it worth your while, when you decide you are ready.
