Guardian Angels in Ourselves

By Avery Warren ’24

Upon hearing the word guardian angel one’s mind might conjure celestial images of gracefully winged creatures. This form of an “angel” seems to have a biblical depiction that is difficult and with an imagery hard to fabricate. To me, a guardian angel is not a mythical power, but a guiding force constructed by our minds.

Everyone has morals and individual beliefs instilled in them that influence their daily actions. These guiding principles and what we interpret as what is “right” or “wrong” are in a sense our “guardian angels.” Justice is reflected outwards on a societal basis. This is directly contrasted by morals, which are personal ideals looking inwards. Humans construct their individual perceptions of justice and morality through their experiences and surroundings. What we are taught as what is justice often coincides with our empirical morals. We turn to our morality for guidance, not just to do the virtuous and principled thing, but to live with ourselves. We stand by our morals to be able to take comfort in knowing we did the right and just thing.

We strengthen and exercise the integrity of our consciousness by the yearning to learn more and to never seek comfort in what we already know. Our virtues continue to deepen with every interaction and environment we immerse ourselves in. Through exploration and delving into unfamiliar surroundings, we enable ourselves the ability to expand and stretch our minds.

 Nature bestowed humans the gift of consciousness and primal instinct as a protective measure. Our human instinct is fear. Fear of going up in front of the class to perform a presentation; Fear of walking down that poorly lit alley that reeks of foreign fragrances; Fear that you are not gonna pass the test you spent hours preparing for. This fear is our brain attempting to protect our bodies. Whether it is a trivial matter, or a life-threatening situation, this minuscule voice in our mind’s sole purpose is to guide us away from danger. Guardian Angels are ourselves. They are minds. Our morals. They are fear.