Is The Fragrance On Your Hand?
"The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose." - Mahatma Gandhi
How come people are talking, but nobody is listening? How come we are surrounded by self-help books, motivational stories and quotes, a daily quota of inspiring e-mails and still nobody is listening? Someone sends us a beautiful poem with a magical lesson, we are so inspired we immediately pass it on to as many people as possible, and within minutes we are cursing and swearing about something that ticked us off. Why aren't we listening?
We are so wrapped up in ourselves, in what we believe to be right and wrong, in our own moral opinions, in our viewpoint on life, that the outside world cannot penetrate our ignorance. We read but don't grasp, we see but don't believe, we care but we don't want to be bothered, we are busy people doing nothing. We allow other people to dictate who we are and we call it stress. We are afraid to love unconditionally in case our love is not returned. We want others to see as we do, hear as we do, talk as we do, and if they don't, we will criticize them, only behind their back of course.
This past week I attended the cemetery mass in my home town and the presiding priest said something that I just cannot get out of my mind. He said "let us now pray for those who have no one left to pray for them". Think about that for a moment, or even a day or two. Each one of us will eventually be one of those people who has "no one left to pray for them". Are you listening? Are your hearing? Read it again, out loud this time, now think about all the stupid things you say and do everyday. Think about all the stupid things you worry about. Think about how you allow other people's actions to dictate your actions. Think about your stress, what causes you stress, and think about why you allow this to happen.
Life is so simple, we complicate it because we believe it shouldn't be this simple. All we need to do is wake up every morning, say thank you for the privilege of another day, do the things that are necessary to sustain our life, and the rest of the day can be spent passing out roses. A smile to a passer-by, a kind word to a stranger, a hug for a friend, a kiss for your child and an "I Love You" for your spouse. Remind yourself to speak of the positive, instead of the negative, look for the good, not the bad, see the stars instead of the clouds, and remember that the sun shines every day. Begin living your life in this way and before long the "fragrance of the rose" will be always on your hands.
How come people are talking, but nobody is listening? How come we are surrounded by self-help books, motivational stories and quotes, a daily quota of inspiring e-mails and still nobody is listening? Someone sends us a beautiful poem with a magical lesson, we are so inspired we immediately pass it on to as many people as possible, and within minutes we are cursing and swearing about something that ticked us off. Why aren't we listening?
We are so wrapped up in ourselves, in what we believe to be right and wrong, in our own moral opinions, in our viewpoint on life, that the outside world cannot penetrate our ignorance. We read but don't grasp, we see but don't believe, we care but we don't want to be bothered, we are busy people doing nothing. We allow other people to dictate who we are and we call it stress. We are afraid to love unconditionally in case our love is not returned. We want others to see as we do, hear as we do, talk as we do, and if they don't, we will criticize them, only behind their back of course.
This past week I attended the cemetery mass in my home town and the presiding priest said something that I just cannot get out of my mind. He said "let us now pray for those who have no one left to pray for them". Think about that for a moment, or even a day or two. Each one of us will eventually be one of those people who has "no one left to pray for them". Are you listening? Are your hearing? Read it again, out loud this time, now think about all the stupid things you say and do everyday. Think about all the stupid things you worry about. Think about how you allow other people's actions to dictate your actions. Think about your stress, what causes you stress, and think about why you allow this to happen.
Life is so simple, we complicate it because we believe it shouldn't be this simple. All we need to do is wake up every morning, say thank you for the privilege of another day, do the things that are necessary to sustain our life, and the rest of the day can be spent passing out roses. A smile to a passer-by, a kind word to a stranger, a hug for a friend, a kiss for your child and an "I Love You" for your spouse. Remind yourself to speak of the positive, instead of the negative, look for the good, not the bad, see the stars instead of the clouds, and remember that the sun shines every day. Begin living your life in this way and before long the "fragrance of the rose" will be always on your hands.
posted by Taximan at 10:47 AM
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