Corey's Story

OK, everyone. Cory put this story on as a comment and I just had to stick it on as a post. Really cool!

"A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wisest man lived. Rather then finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that boy look around the palace and return within two hours."Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something," said the wise man, handing to boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill." The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. "Well," asked the wise man, "did you see the persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library? "The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man and entrusted him. "Then go back and observe the marvels of my world" said the wise man. "you cannot trust a man if you dont know his house." Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, and the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen. "But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?" asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone. "Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you," said the wisest of wise men. "The secret to happiness is to see the marvels of the world, but never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."


Soooooooo . . .
What do you think it means?

Comments

Hey all! I have answered people's comments! Be sure to go back and read! We could be having seperate discussions on each of the posted articles if we wanted to! Corey added a really great quote to the article below! Be sure to read it. It's very cool--thought provoking.

Here is my email address for those of you who want to make comments but not have other people see them:

cathrynlokey@yahoo.com

Rock and roll!

Another Cool Poem

Here is the poem that inspired the address for this blog. Another one by David Whyte. (Note: The lack of a space between two words in the title is not a mistake. Hmmmmm . . .) Can you find the line that the blog address comes from? ;-)



THE TRUELOVE


There is a faith in loving fiercely
the one who is rightfully yours,
especially if you have
waited years and especially
if part of you never believed
you could deserve this
loved and beckoning hand
held out to you this way.


I am thinking of faith now
and the testaments of loneliness
and what we feel we are
worthy of in this world.


Years ago in hte Hebrides,
I remember an old man
who walked every morning
on the grey stones
to the shore of baying seals,


who would press his hat
to his chest in hte blustering
salt wind and say his prayer
to the turbulent Jesus
hidden in the water,


and I think of the story
of the storm and everyone
waking and seeing
the distant,
yet familiar figure,
far across the water
calling to them,


and how we are all
waiting for that
abrupt waking,
and that calling,
and that moment
we have to say yes,
except, it will
not come so grandly,
so Biblically,
but more subtly
and intimately, in the face
of the one you know
you have to love.


So that when
we finally step out of the boat
toward them, we find
everything holds
us, and everything confirms
our courage, and if you wanted
to drown you could,
but you don't,


because finally
after all this struggle
and all these years,
you don't want to any more,
you've simply had enough
of drowning,
and you want to live and you
want to love and you will
walk across any territory
and any darkness,
however fluid and however
dangerous, to take the
one hand you know
belongs in yours.

~ David Whyte


I know what this poem means to me, but I want to know what it means to you. Let me know!

Introduction

I believe that true learning comes not in finding the right answers, but in asking the right questions.

This blog is going to serve as a forum for asking questions that can lead to self-discovery and understanding. As we come to a greater understanding and appreciation of ourselves as individuals, many of the ills in our lives may be healed, we will be more able to reach out to others and to give more of our own uniqueness to the world. There is so much healing to be done!

This poem, by one of my favorite poet/philosophers, sums up the purpose of this blog beautifully:

LOAVES AND FISHES

This is not the
age of information.

This is NOT
the age of information.

Forget the news,
and the radio,
and the blurred screen.

This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.

People are hungry,
and one good word is bread
for a thousand.

~David Whyte


Come to this blog daily for a "good word."
Love to you all.

~Cathryn