Monday, July 12, 2010

Two Giant Fat People - by Hafiz

This is a delightful poem by the 14th century poet and mystic Hafiz, a Sufi master. It's taken from the book titled "The Gift, Poems By Hafiz, The Great Sufi Master", translated by Daniel Ladinsky. It's amazing his work survives, though I understand a great deal of it has been lost. I hope you enjoy it.

God
And I have become
Like two giant fat people
Living in a
Tiny boat.
We
Keep
Bumping into each other and
L
a
u
g
h
i
n
g
.




IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Touched By An Angel - Maya Angelou
Practicing Gratitude

.

A Few Kind Words

Is it so difficult to offer a kind word from time to time? Are our own selfish aspirations so much more important than the people we interact with that we can guiltlessly cause them pain in pursuit of our own goals? Who are we to disturb the peace of another? Why should we walk away from an interaction unscathed, but leave another mortally wounded behind us? Would it matter that much if you spent an extra few minutes per day taking the time to speak with compassion?

Yes. It would.

It would make an enormous difference to the harmony of the world - and, for your trouble, rather than losing, you would win; you'd be trading a little bit of your time to contribute peace. Peace could be your legacy.

Surely that is a personal aim worth shooting for.

IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ:
Happiness Is Catching
Do The Opposite
Doing It Anyway