Sunday Wisdom

From One Mountain, Many Paths
An American Freemason Speaks Out for Peace

by Dr. Patrick Swift
Click book or here to go to the page and buy it for yourself,

One who thinks he knows not, knows;
one who thinks he knows, knows not.

Shri Guru Gita 40
Hinduism

Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing of humility, and manifests it to all the world. He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion and therefore he is distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority. It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.

Tao Te Ching 22
Taoism

OK, This message is just for me. I was thinking of celebrating my 50,000 hit which should happen sometime today.


Thinking wow! My blog is important! So I opened Patrick's book and the above is what it opened up to. It reminded me of a poem which my friend Jerry Marsengill used to recite and so I share it with you here.

There Is No Indispensable Man"
by Saxon N. White Kessinger, Copyright 1959

Sometime when you're feeling important;
Sometime when your ego's in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're the best qualified in the room,

Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul;

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that's remaining
Is a measure of how you will be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop and you'll find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example
Is do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There's no indispensable man.

I think my post from last night was an attempt to make myself feel important. I was letting people out there in Blogland know that Jay Simser was doing something important. That he was making a difference. (Actually all my blog really does is give me something to do) In actuality I probably am not. I blogged about the election and pissed some people off (tough- I've been pissed off for years) I probably did not change one persons vote for the candidate of my choice.

I understand today's quotes probably better than anyone. I have no real reason to set myself up as an authority. I think it is a "teacher thing." I taught school for 38 years and I had 19 -35 kids in the classroom at various times. All of them looking to me for guidance and instruction and as someone who showed them the way to go in their learning. Some of them were really grateful and have remained friends. I have been invited to weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, book signings, and I even have coffee with a couple of them once in awhile. I love being with them as equals and not as "teacher" but I know that they remember me as a teacher.

I tried to be a coach (one who sits beside) and not always be the fount of all wisdom and knowledge. We would look things up together and I tried to help them become self sufficient in finding out things. I knew the poem above and I tried to remember it. Knowing that someone else could take my place and the students would be just fine without me in the room was always something I was aware of. (However when I had to be gone and we had to use a substitute it wasn't always done to the standard I wanted ---- but then perhaps my standards were a little high.) I tried not to be gone much. I didn't want them to think I was unnecessary.

So the fact of the matter is that I enjoy what I do. Or I wouldn't do it. I have always liked to keep busy. I get involved in things and over the years people have asked me how I did all the things I did. I tell them I just do it. The truth is I do it for me. I would go nuts if I did not have things to do. I have enjoyed my trips to Des Moines and working in the Scottish Rite Office. I like being Secretary of the Lodge. I am not a great ritualist but being Secretary gives me a part to play that I can enjoy and allows me to "give back" something to an organization and a group of men that has/have given so much to me. I like being (As Billy De Wolfe used to say) "Busy, busy busy"

So the Universe hit me with a lesson this morning. I shall ponder it (But I am still going to be happy when the counter says 50,000 - But you know about half of them are from me.) In the meantime I was searching on YouTube for Billy DeWolfe's Busy Busy Busy quote and found this. I liked it and I hope you will also. Have a great week. Thanks for stopping by. Now I am going to get back to reading Roma by Steven Saylor. I am loving it. ARTYAL. Hugs. j-bear