I am fan of Super Hero movies like Spiderman, Batman,
Superman, etc. and I always wondered that if I had a super power what would it
be? Would it be the ability to fly like Superman, or crush a building in the
palm of my hand like the Incredible Hulk?
But then I would be shaken back into reality and
realize that I’m only human.
Today, I would like to share a secret with you. The
truth is that I loved how it felt when I believed that I had super powers, so I
started referring to myself as Super Dino! Slowly, but surely I realized that if
your mind can conceive it, and your heart can believe it, then you can achieve
it.
Through this conviction, I noticed that it became
easier for me to handle my challenges. Like a deer, I was gracefully and easily
jumping over all my obstacles.
However, one day, the belief about Super Dino was
really put to the test, when life decided to play a game with me.
About five years ago, I started to lose my vision
very rapidly due to bleeding inside my eyes. It was as if it was raining blood
inside my eyes. I was terrified. So as I visited my doctor, he said I would
need multiple surgeries, if not I would become blind and walk with a cane.
So, two days before my first eye surgery, the doctor
was briefing me about the preparation procedures. He said to me “Dino, 24 hours
before the surgery you will need to take an injection”.
So I responded to the doctor, “sure, no problem,
would I take it on my arm:
He was silent for a moment and then said “No Dino,
directly in your eye”.
That very moment, I felt chills run down my spine.
The Super Dino within me flew away so fast that my
head was spinning, and I felt empty and helpless. But since I had no choice; I
accepted what the doctor advised, and promised to come in for the injection the
next day.
The next 24 hours were some of my most difficult
moments. It seemed as though a black cloud of fear was upon me, destroying my
peace of mind. I could not sleep because I kept imagining the injection piercing
into my eye. As if a needle was popping a balloon. Even though, I was only
required to take that injection once, imagining it over and over again was
almost as good as taking multiple injections.
The next day I arrived at the clinic and waited for
the nurse to call my name. I could not figure out whether I wanted time to slow
down or speed up. But I was pretty sure that I wanted time to stop.
Unfortunately, Super Dino wasn’t gifted with the super power to stop time.
As I waited, I could no longer bare the self-torture,
so I completely gave up. I surrendered to the Universe. I trusted that some
higher power would take care of me. At least, this thought whether true or
false, generated a feeling of peace within me. Finally, my name was called and the nurse
escorted me into the room.
As I entered the room, I saw it waiting for me – the
execution chair. The only difference was that I was receiving a healing
injection, and not a lethal one.
As I sat down, a nurse held down both my hands in a
very compassionate manner, and then put a clip into my eye to keep it open. As
the doctor injected my eye, my world turned into slow motion. The injection got
closer, closer, and closer.
Ouch!
Super Dino was back – bold, brave, and bulletproof.
After that day, I had multiple eye surgeries, but I
did not experience any fear. So I asked myself, are Super Heroes fearless?
I realized that Super Heroes do experience fear, but
in spite of the fear they cultivate the courage to take action, because their
purpose is far greater than who they are. Super Heroes use their fear to fuel
their courage. And they also have faith that there is some force that will
support them.
Now this force may be grace, or good luck, you may
not know what to call it, but you have definitely experienced it, haven’t you?
In my case, living a life with low-vision takes an
immense amount of courage and faith. Courage to ask people to help me cross the
street or hold my hand in a dark room. In addition, it also requires faith that
people will actually help me, or faith that when I walk with my cane I will be
guided in the right direction. I like to call this force of faith, “Dino’s Angels”.
As I know, without a doubt that these angels come whenever I call, and they
will catch me if I fall. Which reminds me of a quote by Wayne Dyer where he
says “If you knew who walked beside you at all times, on the path that you have
chosen, you could never experience fear or doubt again.” I believe that this is
a path that I have chosen for my spiritual development, and I have all the
Universal support that I need.
When you cultivate faith, you give up control, and
believe that everything is happening through divine will, and “there are NO
mistakes in your life”. Once you believe this, you will not complain about the
present moment, your mind will not regret the past, nor have any anxiety about
the future. You will also believe that every situation is a gift from the
Universe. Ultimately, this will clear all the stress from your body, as well as
quiet your mind.
Through my experience, I want to remind you that you were
born with these two gifts – courage and faith. When you were a baby you had the
courage to cry for what you needed, and had faith that your mother would give
it to you. However, as you grew up, through your challenges, you slowly lost
this courage and faith.
The truth is that without courage and faith, even
Superman cannot fly. So today, I invite you to re-discover and unwrap these
gifts of faith and courage, and share it with the world. Because when you reach
a place of darkness in your life and feel confused, courage and faith will be
that shining light to guide your way.
I truly believe that what the world needs today are
more people who can inspire others through their experiences, faith, and
courage. Therefore, I encourage you to unleash your dormant super powers of
courage faith, because you never know who you may inspire today.
“Faith is to
believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you
believe.” – Saint Augustine
