A Soulful Journey

A wealthy man strolled through his garden and spied a little bird and tangled in a mesh of wire. He freed the frightened creature and held her in his hand. Suddenly the bird began to plead, “Kind sir, please let me go. I will be of no value to you for I am not beautiful. I cannot sing and I am not edible. If you will set me free I will offer you three valuable pieces of advice." The amazed man agreed. The bird then spoke, “Do not worry over that which is gone. Desire not that which you cannot obtain. Believe not that which is incredible.” The rich man appreciated the bird’s advice and set her free. The wise little bird quickly flew to the highest branch of a nearby tree and laughed heartily.  “Why are you laughing?” the man asked.  “I am laughing at you,” the bird chirped, “for if you were not such a fool you could have been the wealthiest man in the world.” “How?” the man asked, bewildered. “Very simply,” the little bird replied, “for I carry a diamond the s...

Make us worthy, Lord To serve our fellow men Throughout the world who live and die In poverty and hunger Give them through our hands This day their daily bread, And by our understanding love Give peace and joy. -Mother Theresa of Calcutta

A Midrash: Alexander of Macedon, world conqueror, comes to stand at the gate of the Garden of Eden.  He demands admission and is told that only the tzaddikim, the holy and righteous ones, may enter.  Alexander  becomes  indignant.  No one would dare treat this monarch with such indifference! Alexander becomes angry and insists that the angel guarding the gate should offer him something of great worth.  So the angel gives him a human eyeball. Puzzled, Alexander places the eyeball on a scale, to determine its worth, and then begins to load gold and silver on the other scale.  No matter how much precious metal he adds, the eyeball outweighs all.  Finally, the angel covers the eyeball with a layer of dust.  Unable to see the gold, the eyeball immediately finally resumes its normal weight. The  midrash, in its fashion  teaches that the human eye will never be satisfied with what is has, it always covets more. ...

Franz Kafka wanted much of his writing to be burned.   One story, however, he wanted saved.   It was called, “The Hunger Artist.” This short tale was an autobiographical story about a man who made his living by professional fasting.   “He is the practitioner of a once venerated profession.   Seated on straw in his small barred cage, he is marveled at by throngs of people.   After 40 days, his fasts were terminated in triumph.   His manager would make a speech, the band would play, and one of the ladies would lead him staggering in his weakened state out of the cage. "However, the day arrived when fasting was no longer understood or appreciated by the people.   He lost his manager and had to join a circus.   His cage was placed next to the animals.   He became depressed by the smell, the restlessness of the animals at night, the raw flesh carried past him and the roaring at feeding time.   The people barely glanced at him in their h...

Ted Koppel, newscaster, was born in England.  Koppel lived through the ferocious bombing during World War II and was used to food shortages and rationing.  When Koppel came to the United States, the first advertisement he remembered hearing was about overeating.   "Who's forcing them?" he asked his mother. It is remarkable the number of ailments that comes with prosperity.  In poverty, there seem to be far fewer.  Without giving up all that we have, what can be learned?