THIS STORY MAKES YOU SMILE!

Hassan Al Basra a notable theologian and scholar (642-728 C.E.) was asked by one of his followers to talk about his teachers. He said - I have had many teachers but three in particular gave me the most valuable lessons of my life:

The first lesson I learned was from a thief. One night I got lost and I had left my house key with my neighbor. I didn't want to wake him so I asked for help from a by stander and he opened the door to my house in a split second. I was surprised and I asked him to teach me how he did that, he confessed that he was a thief. I was baffled but to show him my appreciation I invited him in. He stayed with me for a month but he left the house every night and returned in the morning. Every time I asked him if he got anything he would say – no but hopefully tomorrow! He seemed to be content and he never complained. What I learned from him was patience, persistence and hope.

The second lesson I learned was from a dog. One day I was thirsty and I tried to drink water from a river close by. A dog that was seemingly thirsty joined me but every time he tried to drink he was frightened by the reflection of his own image in the water. Finally, he threw himself in the river and drank fearlessly.

The third lesson I learned was from a little girl who was carrying a lit candle. To make conversation and to teach her something I asked her if she lit the candle by herself and if she knew where the flame came from. In response she started to laugh and put out the flame by using the palm of her hand, then she said – Sir, do you know how the flame disappeared and where it is now? I felt embarrassed and I kept thinking that we all have a sacred flame in our heart and we don’t know where it comes from.

On that day I decided to connect with life and everything that was around me including the clouds, the trees, the rivers, the woods, the men and the women. I have had thousands of teachers and I have learned how to light a flame in my heart and how to be a student in the University of Life. I have learned great lessons from simple things in life.

#connecting, #flame, #hope

ON BEING TOLERANT

The word tolerance was first used in the 15^th century and the concerted efforts of many led to the adoption of article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948 which states – everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Helen Keller once said “The highest result of education is tolerance”. This is so true that even the spirit of democracy means liberty of choice for human beings. That’s why we can not export democracy to other countries because if the individuals have had no real education about tolerance they can never behave democraticaly within a family unit, a community or a society.

Tolerance is defined as:

• “A fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race,    religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own’.
• “Freedom from bigotry or stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief or opinion  that differs from one’s own”.
• “Understanding and recognition of rights and beliefs of others”.
• “Enduring, bearing, permitting, and supporting of those who don’t share our opinions”.
• “An attitude of mind that implies non-judgmental acceptance of different life styles or  beliefs. Toleration also implies “putting up with something that one disapproves”.

Examples of those who are not tolerant include but is not limited to the following persons, no matter which side they are coming from:

• Those who think they are on a mission to change others because they are right about everything.
• Those who think if they own a business they also own the people in it.
• Those who try to attack the character of the person who disagrees with them.
• Those who intentionally and publicly ignore and disrespect the person who does not go along with them.
• Those who have a racket and continuously complain about how wrong everybody else is.
• Those who want to prove that others are on a wrong track because it differs from theirs.
• Those who are judgmental and cannot honor the rights and opinions of others

You can add your own examples to my list in the comment section of this post.

The questions are:

1. Can we look with fresh eyes at every person we meet?
2. Can we focus on the wholeness of other face with an attitude of openness?
3. Can we listen to people with no prejudice?
4. Can we take a higher stance and uplift others instead of dismissing them?
5. Do we realize that loving others is not just a question of being nice to them and we need to communicate with specific intention and focus?

After all, this is a connected universe and cynicism does not work. We have the power to share kindness, respect, understanding and awareness with others in order to initiate creative collaborations.

#Tolerance, #Intolerance

HUMANITY: WHAT IS POWERFUL AND WHAT IS NOT

Humanity as virtue or moral excellence is defined as “a set of strength focused on tending and befriending others”. Humanitarianism is defined as “an ethic of kindness, benevolence, and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings”. It is also described as “the acceptance of human being for plainly just being another human, ignoring and abolishing biased social views, prejudice and racism in the process, if utilized individually as a practiced view point, or mind set”.

The synonyms for humanity are listed as compassion, fraternity, fellow feeling, philanthropy, kindness, consideration, understanding, sympathy, tolerance, etc. The admirable qualities of human beings are mentioned as ability to be humble, selflessness, awareness of themselves, willingness to learn, ability to express happiness for others, having confidence in the face of uncertainty, honesty, unconditional empathy, knowing that they don’t know it all, having a sense of personal style, having unforced gratitude, having respect for other human beings, ability to hold great conversation, not taking stock in appearances, having admiration but not jealousy for those who are capable, having understanding even for those who act out against them.

Our identities as human beings are the results of actions we perform including what we speak which is considered our linguistic actions. Being mindful of our human qualities will allow us to become less critical and judgmental of ourselves and others, have deeper appreciation of who we are, and be less self-centered and more willing to look around and take care of others. In other words, what we think becomes a function of who we are as human beings.

Here is a set of distinctions which point at examples of what is human and powerful: 

1. Making requests for what needs to happen instead of keeping quiet with loads of expectations in our mind.
2. Accepting what we cannot change instead of becoming resigned or resentful.
3. Being mindful of the choices we make and taking responsibility for the consequences.
4. Having a sense of humor and trying to put people at ease.
5. Being open to learning and not pretending to be a “know it all” and arrogant.
6. Making grounded assessments instead of opining and gossiping.
7. Making responsible complaints instead of bitching about everything.
8. Asking questions instead of having ready-made answers for everything.
9. Sharing what we have personally witnessed instead of talking about our own stories.
10. Accepting accountability instead of blaming it on others.
11. Telling the truth instead of denial and sugar coating.
12. Being vulnerable instead of trying to control everything out of fear.

Considering the above, one can conclude that what we say or do can be powerful and a function of who we are as human beings, or it can be totally fear-based and out of dis-empowerment.

#Powerful, #Distinctions