Do you remember when you were extremely young and you wanted to accomplish a mission or project? I recall a very traumatic experience when my little pedal-car got stuck in a mud hole. I couldn’t go forward nor go back. I did not want to leave the miniature vehicle because that would sully my shoes: even at an early age, my parents had instilled me with the concept that clean shoes constituted a gentleman. I was forced to maneuver the car backwards and forwards. Finally, it broke free and I was propelled across the gravel driveway, almost hitting a tree. I had learned Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (1) I was lucky that I didn’t experience the real result of the axiom
Later, we developed an even more ambitious plan. It was decided to build a tree fort. Now this detailed construction is a much more serious undertaking. Firstly an abundance of trees is necessary. This problem was resolved by a large forest not far from our home. It had been logged during World War Two to construct a Military Air Base. The area had never been replanted: thus, quick-growing Lombardy Poplars covered the area. These trees were considered of very little “commercial” value and were often simply cut down or their young samplings poisoned so that they would therefore die: a startling revelation in a society that prides itself on beauty and nature. This particular region, however, probably because it was close to our small community, was unscathed. We burrowed into the center of these towering conifers. “Timber,” the evocative call of all Paul Bunyan-like loggers (2), was soon heard.
We cleared a small strip and began to work. The trees that had been felled were cut into sections and then stripped of their bark. These logs were stacked for future building. It was as if the ingredients of a gigantic cake had been collected, only awaiting its finally baking and attendant delicious result. Fear limited action: at last, one of my brothers scampered up the largest and tallest evergreen. He assembled a crude “block and tackle” (3) and we began hoisting the initial “floor” into the air. Planks covered the boles, rough walls were assembled and finally a roof, that never did quite seal properly, was put in place. We stood in awe in a small assembly at the base of our creation, arms embracing shoulders: it was finished! I am certainly not a builder of physical edifices, but I am, in a humble way, a builder of ideas. At this moment, I realized that all was possible, “given” that I realize I do have physical attributes: I am a man, I am white, I am sixty years old, I am Canadian, etc. Achievement, any achievement, however, could not be accomplished without a struggle. Success in any form could not be handed to you by the cosmos devoid of an effort.
I believe that we must look for models to pattern our life on to assist us in our decision- making process. Additionally: all greatness in life need not be of a material nature. Matthew Ricard (b. 1946) is a Buddhist monk who makes his residence in Nepal. His life began very differently. He was born in France into a family of intellectuals: his father was the philosopher, author and writer Jean-Francois Revel (1924-2006) and his mother the Lyrical Abstractionist Yahne Le Toumelin (b. 1923). (4) He received a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the famed Pasteur Institute in Paris. He then did the extraordinary; he forsook his worldly career to focus on his studies and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. He eventually became a devotee of the great Buddhist master Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991). (5) Today, he a translator to the Dalai Lama (b.1935) and a world-renowned writer and photographer. He leaves us with a thought: By happiness I mean here a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being. Happiness is also a way of interpreting the world, since while it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it.
A small joke: “My brother has 10,000 people below him,” a man said to his friend. “Wow!” was his buddy’s startled response. “He must have a huge job.” “No,” was his colleague’s irreverent reply. “He is the janitor on the top floor on an office building.”
This week, please reflect on what the concepts of struggle and happiness mean to you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: One must come to terms with his or her own potentiality and see it through to its proper conclusion. You cannot cheat yourself out of what you should be or could do.
Footnotes:
1) Isaac Newton
2) Paul Bunyan is the iconic lumberjack in American folklore. He is usually accompanied by his Giant Blue Ox “Babe.”
3) A “block and tackle” is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift or pull heavy loads.
4) BIOGRAPHIE