To Be or Not To Be

A little kingdom I possess,
Where thoughts and feelings dwell;
And very hard the task I find
Of governing it well.
~ Louisa May Alcott

...that more or less describes my situation!

~A Wise Man Said~

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
~ Aristotle
Monday, August 05, 2019
 

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears”
I recently chanced upon this quote by the Persian poet Rumi; it is one of those quotes that strike you with their sublimity as much as their simplicity.
It seems that if at first there appears to be no path but you take courage in both hands and start walking and walking bravely confronting the hurdles, at some point the path almost gives way, it appears magically, the obstacles melt away, things happen to guide you more smoothly on your course, and it all seems like a reward in return for confidence, for belief, for faith… as much in oneself as in something else…perhaps in destiny or a higher power or in God. It is difficult to explain it rationally… but I have sensed the truth of it in my own experience. Mind you, I am actually not someone who starts walking when I don’t see a path; in fact, very far from it. I need to plan and chart out a complete map to the destination and account for contingencies as well before I take the first step. However, I admit that rare though it is whenever I have taken a chance and simply listened to my gut instinct it has worked out, the path has shown up…almost like fate was willing me to take a chance and waiting to reward me if I did.
Maybe if one had to explain it rationally one could explain it in terms of what psychologists these days call ‘grit’—apparently grit more than anything else defines success, even more than intelligence or privilege. It is the ability or quality of a person to push ahead determinedly or persevere against difficulties in pursuit of a desired goal… and one perseveres till one reaches it. If you think about it, to set out on a path that appears hopeless at first in search of one’s goal and then to plod along on it certainly demands perseverance or determination or grit at an earthy level and not just some sort of vague belief or faith… and when it seems like the path appears or opens up or difficulties start to melt, it could also be the fruit of all the labour that one has already put in in working through the path…the result of hard work rather than a magical dispelling of barriers…
I guess I like the idealistic notion that when you put yourself wholeheartedly into something, the universe rewards you... when you start to walk determinedly, the path has no choice but to open up for you. The call of the path has to be strong enough though and you need to have it in you to see it to its very difficult end… but then could that just be plain old grit?

posted by Sylvia D'souza at 1:42 am 0 comments
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