Once upon a time, there was a peripatetic individual, abandoned by parents, living a withdrawn, insular life. Things were swirling around him. He observed and pondered, though remaining far removed from the chaos of the times.
Emptiness filled his soul. Little did he realize that a faint light had caught the far corner of his eyes. With nothing else happening, he was subconsciously guided by it. At the end of a dimly lit path, stood a stoic man, diminutive and reserved. He greeted the exiled man with, “you seek Knowledge. Do you yearn for wisdom that is in short supply?”
“Yes,” the drifter responded. The sage proffered, “only lost souls will my words penetrate – to all others I am a pedant engaging in the surface world of empiricism.” “Ah yes,” the itinerant silently thought to himself. “I’ve been lost in that reality, perhaps that is why I feel empty. What is the purpose in this life other than coping?”
The wise man disclosed, as if clairvoyant, “we live in the Iron Age, the ethos of materialism, the addiction of power, greed, and control. I will reveal to you an enduring awareness that is more ancient than the pyramids, more direct than the Holy Books. But first you must eschew the appearances of things, though we all work within it. The penultimate revolutionary act is to be in this world, do service, exude and receive love, yet not be of this world. Enjoy your gifts that have been bestowed, nurture them, yet you do not own them. In the end you let go of everything.”
At that moment the exiled man had an epiphany of sorts.
Oh I LOVE this Post…. It can be amazingly difficult to be ‘in’ this world and yet, not ‘of’ it….
I have so many ‘expectations’ to practice surrendering, every day.
Thank You Jeff, for rousting my awareness from it’s holiday slumber.
Happy New Year to You and All Those You Love.