|
Hi friends,
Came acrross this article,thought you may appreciate it!
I once had a big tree in my back yard. A giant, stately oak, it
was the biggest tree I had ever seen. One day, to my surprise,
it fell. In the center there was a big hole revealing the tree
had been hollow all that time. It's amazing, a tree that looked
so lively and strong was really hollow. It reminded me of many
of our lives in the modern era.
One of my friends who is a college professor once said that
people getting advanced degrees in his classes only showed him
how many people could blindly follow the rules and do what they
were told. This is a very pessimistic view, but even in the
most pessimistic views sometimes there is a bit of truth. Many
people are quite successful because they can memorize, they can
do research well, they can write, or even speak effectively in
front of crowds.
They can have houses, cars, good families and many things, but
their lives can still be hollow, like the big oak in the back
yard, because they are only doing what they are told they are
supposed to do to be good people. Sometimes they become so
bored with their lives they don't even remember what is
important. That is why it is very important for us to remember
the beginning. Why did we want to succeed? Why did we want all
of those things? If we can remember what we were looking for,
and if we can remember the magic in the world that we experience
when we were younger and happy, we will keep our center full, by
keeping our hearts full of love and joy.
The Shaolin say that the heart of the pine is full [soft and
spongy] and the rings around bamboo are hard. Since the heart
of the pine is full and the rings of the bamboo our hard, in the
winter when things freeze there is room for expansion, without
breaking. There is a solid structure combined with softness and
flexibility holding the pine and bamboo together, so that the
coldness of winter will not destroy them.
Even so, as human beings in the center of ourselves and our
lives we should find softness and firmness. We should be
flexible, yet structured--working hard, studying hard, following
the rules, but always leaving time for relaxation and play. We
should always leave time to be creative and time to celebrate
our successes and mourn failures. We should always enjoy the
discovery of new things on the job, instead of hardening
ourselves against creativity and excitement just to push forward
and obtain a high standing.
Putting away the need for success, putting away the need for
reward, and working diligently for the sake of creating a better
world, or a better product for others, keeps the heart full.
Being around groups of people who don't look at wealth and
status as success, but our quality of life as success, keeps
softness and firmness at the center of our lives so that we do
not fall. We do not collapse. By applying strength with
flexibility and applying flexibility with strength, we become
creators of the world. We do our work in joy and with peace.
When the strong winds come we will not fall, because we will be
strong enough to stand, yet flexible enough to bend.
The lesson learned from that old oak is that you can look
strong, brilliant, and be a giant, but on the inside you or your
life can be hollow. If we allow our lives to be hollow, one
day, even if it is the last day of our lives, we will eventually
crash and fall like that big tree. If our hearts are full of
love, joy and creativity, and our lives are a refection of our
hearts, we can withstand the coldness of any strong winds that
may buffet us. We will take that love wherever we go and share
it with a bruised and hurting world. This is the fruit of a
full heart and a truly meaningful life.-by John Gilmore
--------------------------------
Thanks for your visit,
hope you are having a great day!
Thanks
Leanne Busby
http://www.aussie-money-tree.biz
http://www.aussie-money-tree.info
|