So, I recently have been confronted with wish lists, wanting and the like. It is not so much that I want things, not possessions. So I found the following quote from Kahlil Gibran that hit a particular nail on my head:
My wearied heart bade me farewell and left for the House of Fortune. As he reached that holy city which the soul had blessed and worshipped, he commenced wondering, for he could not find what he had always imagined would be there. The city was empty of power, money, and authority.
And my heart spoke to the daughter of Love saying, “Oh Love, where can I find Contentment? I heard that she had come here to join you.”
And the daughter of Love responded, “Contentment has already gone to preach her gospel in the city, where greed and corruption are paramount; we are not in need of her.”
Fortune craves not Contentment, for it is an earthly hope, and its desires are embraced by union with objects, while Contentment is naught but heartfelt.
The eternal soul is never contented; it ever seeks exaltation. Then my heart looked upon Life of Beauty and said: “Thou art all knowledge; enlighten me as to the mystery of Woman.” And he answered, “Oh human heart, woman is your own reflection, and whatever you are, she is; wherever you live, she lives; she is like religion if not interpreted by the ignorant, and like a moon, if not veiled with clouds, and like a breeze, if not poisoned with impurities.”
And my heart walked toward Knowledge, the daughter of Love and Beauty, and said, “Bestow upon me wisdom, that I might share it with the people.” And she responded, “Say not wisdom, but rather fortune, for real fortune comes not from outside, but begins in the Holy of Holies of life. Share of thyself with the people.”
from Kahlil Gibran’s “A Tear And A Smile.”
And this quote re-inspired some thoughts I had last night surrounding wanting and whether or not, as human beings we should want. In other words, how much wanting is good for us? These wants are somewhat unsurmountable goals…though sometimes it’s good to dream…
1) I want my dad to get better, at least better enough to be able to enjoy the few years he has left.
2) I want my mom to find some solace…maybe find someone who will be able to relieve her of all of the s*** she is responsible for (ie a housekeeper would be nice or a nurse type person or caretaker person for my dad).
3) I want stem cell research to continue and thrive and get all those who have money to fund it, regardless of what the shrub and his cronies say.
4) I want doctors to find a cure for cancer.
5) I want peace in the world, but especially, I want human beings (especially those in power) to recognize that we are all the same; to put away their differences and to work together, constructively, because after all, we’re here only for a short while and why not make something rather than destroy it?
For now, I can only dream about my ideals and recognize a few things: I am capable of doing more than I think I can; I am utterly in love and happy to realize that I have the ability to love someone else as much as I do; I am thankful for all that I have right now and content in the knowlegde that everything changes and as much as I have always, always said: we receive gifts every day, it is our job to recognize them as such.