I was raised in a Christian tradition in which the holiday year depicts the arc of human potential. It begins with the joy of birth in the quiet depths of winter, surrender to the inevitability of death, then comes full circle with the springtime celebration of resurrection, being born anew. This template of our shared humanity grants a model for both what is inevitable and what is ours to choose.
All humans are born, all humans die. That’s a given. Not all humans surrender to their destiny, experience a letting go or death of self-centeredness, and the flowering of the potential for selflessness. This is the nascent power of human potential, to live for others. It is a choice that needs nurturing to achieve.
As a child, I was confused by this concept. I felt guilty that I could not give of my Self fully. I did not know that it was not my time, I was not ready. Childhood was a time to celebrate Easter with colored eggs, chocolate, and a memorable new outfit. Before we can give selflessly, we must develop our Selves to the extent that we have a Self to give. We cannot give away what we do not have. This Self develops in stages according to Rudolf Steiner, beginning with physical needs in early childhood, emotional needs in middle childhood, and the intellectual/spiritual needs in adolescence.
As an infant, our needs are provided for us. Little by little, during the first seven years of life, we learn to take care of ourselves. We feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, pick up after ourselves and participate in the chores of the community. Through these activities, the physical body and will grows strong. This is the foundation, the preparation for selflessness.
Layered on this foundation in seven-year cycles, humans develop emotional and mental capacities to ultimately achieve an integration of thinking, feeling, and willing. That is the blossoming of human potential, the opportunity demonstrated in the arc of the holiday year. It is a template for the education of human beings toward wholeness, humanity, and freedom, something I have experienced in Waldorf education as both a parent and teacher.
Easter is a time to contemplate the lifelong path to readiness and question our level of maturation of this seed capacity. Have I tended to my own needs and self-development enough that I can now care for the needs and wishes of others without inner conflict? Can I surrender to the greater good and allow childish, selfish ways to die? When I succeed, I experience a sense of triumphing over the lower self and rising-up of the higher self. That’s Easter, a cause for celebration! It is worth striving for.
Don’t take my word for it instead, do your own experiments. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Give generously. Practice kindness. Plant and tend seeds of compassion to cultivate the world you want to live in. What could be more important throughout the hours, days, and years you have been given between birth and death? Choose the arc of your own life. Rise up renewed with new life!