What we bring forth

"Jesus said: If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." (Gospel of Thomas 45.29-33, as quoted in Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels).

I adore this saying. It is so meaningful to me on two levels: personal, and societal.

On a personal level, I can feel its truth.
Many of us have tried to conform to roles and expectations that we just could not fit, and after long suffering, we can understand what it means that "If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you".

What is inside us, what is authentically and genuinely us, will not suffer to be buried forever. Sooner or later it needs to come to the forefront. And it will. Whether it be through a mid-life crisis, a breakdown, mental health issues, or other, milder ways, the truth that we carry inside us about who we are needs to be set free.

Now, does this mean that we should bring forth our hatred, spite, jealousy, and all kinds of other potentially harmful things unchecked and uncontrolled? I don't think so. Because to me, these things, are reactions to something else rather than fundamental to who we are.  I think that it's important to see them and acknowledge them, but then, we must dig deeper and find what else is there. In the end, what you bring forth is a personal decision. When we find that which is genuinely us, which is foundational to who we are, that is what we bring forth.

Another way in which I love this quote is on a societal level. I find it particularly applicable right now, during this pandemic. In many ways, Covid is giving us a time-out from habits and routines that have become deeply entrenched. It is giving us time to rethink, re-evaluate, and consciously decide how we want to move forward as a person, as a society, as a world.

Socially, environmentally and existentially, right now we are at a crossroads. We can "bring forth" our better judgement, our compassion, our understanding, and our care for each other and future generations. If we bring these things forth, they WILL save us. If we do not; if we instead chose to return to our old ways which have brought us to the brink of environmental collapse, where we are today; if we chose to ignore this chance and return to wastefulness, rampant consumption, and unsustainability,  then, I do believe that these things indeed have the potential to destroy us.

My teacher, Bert, said that we have a duty to share our gifts and our understanding. This, here, is my understanding right now, and I wanted to share it.

Peace