Life's Lessons - Joseph Mattappally
The legendry Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage to manhood is
interesting. The father of the boy takes him into a forest; further, he is
blind folded and left there alone. He has to sit there on a stump the whole
night and is not allowed to remove the blindfold until next morning. Once he
successfully survives this forest test, he is declared a man. It is natural
that the boy would be terrified. But in the morning, as the blind fold is
removed, each boy is destined to be surprised to see his father waiting aside
on his guard. No Cherokee boy is allowed to share his forest experience to
another boy and so no one on test is told of this protection. This story teaches
us a great moral; either we are aware or not, nobody here is left astray. Any
Cherokee boy could have cried aloud or trembled in fear which would have only
helped to substantiates ones’ inefficiency to be a man. In the morning, the boy
but understands that it would have been much greater, if he could have spent
the night on the stump unmoved and unbothered. If our immediate caretakers are
so much worried on our good health what could be the attitude of this great
universe from which we emerged? The truth is that we are never alone. Even when
we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.
God talks to us through chances and situations. It is our
inability to remain always in gratitude that creates havoc. Everything happens for a reason; be
it illness, injury, or sheer stupidity - all occur to test the limits of our
soul. This rule is not limited to a particular cast, sex or community; this is
applied to every particle in this universe. This protection is the birth right
of everything in this universe. Without painful burning acid tests, life would
be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. If someone hurts you,
betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them for they have helped you learn
about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart
to. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they
love you, but because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and
eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them. Appreciate every
moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be
able to experience it again. Talk to people whom you have never talked to
before; tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for
if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either. You
can make out of your life anything you wish. The old Indian adage says that
‘you are your own master and you make your own future’. Create your own life
and then go out and live it. Always remember that a great power is sitting
aside on the next stump guarding you from all possible problems. All that you
need to do is keep listening to His voice and trusting His ambience. Trust does
not mean just an understanding or simple belief or hard blind faith but a life
in absolute surrender to His Presence.
To read more issues from Life's Lessons, kindly visit Indian Thoughts
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