The Courage to Be Comfortable in the Uncomfortable

Discovering the Strength Within to Embrace Life’s Unease

Some time ago, I woke up abruptly, a strange phrase echoing in my mind: You have the courage to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.

Lying there, I repeated the phrase silently, unsure of its truth. Comfortable in the uncomfortable?

Sleep must have overtaken me again because soon I found myself in a barren, endless landscape.

For years, I had traveled to the farthest corners of the earth in search of an answer, seeking wisdom from sages, scholars, and laymen alike. Yet none had been able to offer a remedy for the oppressive void I carried.

Exhausted, I came across a remote dwelling. As I walked closer, I noticed a small man who seemed oblivious to my presence. I hesitated at the doorway, unsure whether to speak or wait, while he kept stirring a big pot.

‘Old man,’ I said. ‘I come from very far and I have been searching for the cure to the unease that got hold of me moons ago and never lets me go. May I please come in and rest for a while?’

Without looking up, he replied, ‘There is no cure for that, child. Go home. Be with you.’

Confused and frustrated by his dismissive tone, I refused to leave. ‘I’ve traveled too far for this. I’m exhausted and desperate. Help me!’

He repeated, ‘Go home. Be with you.’

As I turned to leave, heavy with defeat, the man spoke again, his voice softer yet deeply resonant:

‘Be with you, child, for you are the cure you seek. Within you lies the courage to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.’

The Remedy Within

Suddenly, I woke up again, feeling tired but somehow lighter. The burden of my constant striving — the endless attempts to cure the painful feeling of not being enough — seemed to have loosened its grip.

A new clarity dawned: my very presence in this life would always come with moments of unease, but how I chose to hold space for myself during those times would determine whether I enjoyed the ride or endured it.

We are, and always have been, the cure we seek.

Honoring Our Humanity

As we navigate a world in the midst of profound transformation, it is tempting to believe that only our brightest, most polished selves can guide us toward better days. However, this belief is deeply misleading.

In our rush to bring light to a struggling world, we often fail to honor the fullness of our humanity. Instead, we deprive the shadowy, constricting parts of ourselves of their wise voice, pushing them away as if they have no value.

The Gift of Presence

Yet, the truth is that the world does not need saving in the way we imagine. What the world truly needs is for us to summon the courage to sit with all that feels dark and uncomfortable within ourselves — without the desperate urge to fix it or seek immediate comfort.

So often, we can almost hear ourselves pleading with life: ‘Please, take this pain away. I cannot handle it.’

But in truth, the greatest gift we can offer one another is not perfection but presence. It is the ability to sit patiently with every part of our being — both the light and the dark — as they gradually journey back into balance.

It is to witness our imperfections without needing to fix them and, in doing so, still know that we are enough.

May your shadows, in time, become your strongest allies. May you transform them into your unique gifts. And when they have finally met your light once again, only then, Precious Soul, may you offer our changing world a new dream.