As discussed in Part 2 of this series, finding one's life purpose is not for the timid. The Nietzsche metaphor is now continued in Part 3. Those of you familiar with The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz will recognize some similarities here as the "camel" casts off the old agreements and goes off in search of a truer, more authentic life.
When we last left our lion, the dragon had been slain (as much as dragons ever are), and a "Sacred No" soundly delivered. This isn't the adolescent "screw you guys, you aren't the boss of me" reactionary no of the burned out and fed up. This is a heartfelt, conscious "No, I can't do this any more. I have to change my life, even if it is hard and even if you don't understand why I have to do it. In my heart, I have to say no to that path I have been on."
This can be incredibly difficult. Remember, the camel loved knowing the rules and the beliefs that it had adopted. Weren't you a little sad when you found out there was no Santa Claus? Or that government leaders can be corrupt? Or that the Catholic Church will reject you if you are gay? Or that bad things really can, and do, happen to good people? And what about that realization you have at 2 a.m. that you really are in the wrong career/marriage/life? What about the realizations that if you change things you may upset a lot of people who really like you the way you are (or your salary the way it is, etc.)?
So, if the pain of staying the same is too great, the lion has to step up because it takes incredible bravery and fierce dedication to toss off one life for another. Some people lose a lot in the process - family support, money, confidence - you name it. Creating the freedom for a new life to even have a chance of being discovered and nurtured into existence is not a small task.
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