Change and Trust

The message of trusting that, no matter what, greater good lies ahead was reiterated to me last week in surprising and novel ways. One of them came in the form a book that was being passed around our lab in response to some rapid re-structuring within our business division at work- 'Who moved my cheese'. An incredibly short & simple read, it could easily be included under the category of children's classics. The crux of the book is that change happens, inveitably. The healthy way to deal with it knowing that it will happen, is to anticipate it, trust that it will lead to something better, and gather the skills to deal with whatever that change leads to. At first, I found the comic style story-telling too simplistic, almost dismissing further thinking. Thankfully, I caught that very impulse to dismiss arise and decided to do some further thinking. I am glad I did (and it helps to have wonderful friends who ask that I do no less :), thank you my dears!).

What I came away with after all the ruminating is:

To trust in God means to trust that He would not send any test our way if He did not know that we could overcome them. Trusting is thus an act of supplication to His wisdom and care.

To trust that things will only turn out better is committing to find lessons in every change and test to make ourselves the better for it.

To trust is to remember that we are never lacking for His constant support and guidance.

To trust in God, is to trust one another; to know that He reveals Himself through ordinary miracles and to be open to His signs.

And to trust one another, means to love one another unconditionally and fearlessly.

Appa's words of wisdom for his girls:
Good things happen to us,
Just not in the same dimension we imagined.
So, have faith and give a prayer of thanks!

Faith

Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered,

but a maze of passages,

through which we must seek our way,

lost and confused,

now and again checked in a blind alley.

But always, if we have faith,

God will open a door for us,

not perhaps one that we ourselves would have thought of,

but one that will ultimately prove good for us.

- A. J. Cronin

A short story a friend shared today that I found simply wonderful, so here it is for you.

--

An old farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Bhagavat Geeta. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagawat Geeta just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand, I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bhagawat Geeta do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house.
The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.
Out of breath, he said, "SEE.... it is useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.
"Son, that's what happens when you read the Bhagavat Geeta. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Lord Krishna in our lives."

For this, the month of trust, in God, in you,

in all things good and all things true...

http://aftertheafterthought.blogspot.com/2008/07/father-i-place-into-your-hands.html

I had an epiphany in the shower from having shampoo sting my eyes tonight. As my eyes burned unbearably, I only shut it tighter until I realized the cool water finding its way through the tiny openings on the side was only serving to heal it and dilute the irritant out of my eyes. It took me a few seconds to realize I was actually better off letting the water in rather than shutting my eyes shut. Duh! Strange somehow, that in theory I've known this all along, but everytime something falls in my eye, my first instinct is to shut it tight. And make things worse for myself.

And how true that is of learning and growing in general. Tough situations make us, or me, at first want to crawl inside and retreat and wish the problem away. Being open to fresh insight and accepting wisdom, be that from any source, is the the real solution and true cure. And as I reap of that understanding, my willingness to open up and receive the knowledge being shared all around increases rapidly. Well, not really an epiphany, but a reiteration of a basic tenet I suppose, but I thought I'd share. With it, an adage in Tamil that sums this up nicely.

'பாட பாடத்தான் ராகம்; மூட மூடத்தான் ரோகம்.'

(pAda pAdatthAn rAgam; mUda mUdatthAn rOgam)

It roughly translates to, practice makes perfect and denial impedes healing; it is only by repeatedly singing and elaborating on a raag does one appreciate its nuances, and a melody born of it. Conversely, it is by concealing a problem and pretending it doesn't exist that an illness grows and worsens irreversibly.

My learning from yesterday's Satsang:

'Who is an atheist?

One who does not recognize the divine spirit permeating every being, and does not act with kindness towards one and all.'

For May

May we all ponder these lovely words of Thich Nhat Hanh and strive to apply it in our lives:

'May the hearers awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all anxiety and sorrow.'