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On their way home from grandma’s funeral service one snowy January evening, nine year old Samson asked his parents whether grandma was really in heaven as the priest had stated during the church service. “I believe so,” responded his father. “But how do you know? My friend Hafiz said that we enter a place between heaven and hell when we die and are questioned by angels there to determine if we are good enough to make it to heaven.” To this his mother responded, “You should understand that people have different beliefs and it does not mean they are wrong because their beliefs are different from ours. We have our truth and Hafiz’s family have theirs.”
Until a certain point in the history of mankind, the notion that the earth was flat was incontestable. Experts disseminated this view and others with any interest on the subject went along with the flat earth theory without much examination of their own. After all, the experts must know what they are talking about.
We now know the earth is spherical but what else do we consider as fact today which in years hence we would discover to be only opinion. How much of what we legislate as right will we later discover to be wrong? In the face of ignorance, amidst all confusion, despite man’s assertions, the truth stands! It stands oblivious to man’s opinion, dispassionate and inviolable.
Regarding eternal subjects such as the great questions of life (who am I, why am I here, what happens after death) which are of paramount importance to every human being, it is not uncommon to hear the phrase “You have your Truth, I have mine.” This is said as if truth was a subjective thing, as if it could vary according to the whims and feelings of human beings. Truth, being unchangeable and eternal, is.
Five times five will always come to twenty-five. The Spanish word for the number “five” differs from the English word for “five.” But that does not change the fact that five times five will always be twenty-five. By analogy, people from different parts of the world may have their own words for certain spiritual concepts and entities. But the truth remains unchanged everywhere in the world. Otherwise, it would not be truth. Truth belongs to no creed or religion. The helpful radiations of the Creator stand unconcerned yet ever watchful. They stand unconcerned as to whether we discover the path to truth, yet they are ever watchful and reveal their light to those who humbly and earnestly seek for it with a pure heart.
“Bob Hoover, a famous test pilot and frequent performer at air shows, was returning to his home in Los Angeles from an air show in San Diego. As described in the magazine Flight Operations, at three hundred feet in the air, both engines suddenly stopped. By deft maneuvering he managed to land the plane, but it was badly damaged although nobody was hurt.
Hoover’s first act after the emergency landing was to inspect the airplane’s fuel. Just as he suspected, the World War II propeller plane he had been flying had been fueled with jet fuel rather than gasoline.
Upon returning to the airport, he asked to see the mechanic who had serviced his airplane. The young man was sick with the agony of his mistake . Tears streamed down his face as Hoover approached. He had just caused the loss of a very expensive plane and could have caused the loss of three lives as well.
You can imagine Hoover’s anger. One could anticipate the tongue-lashing that this proud and precise pilot would unleash for that carelessness. But Hoover didn’t scold the mechanic; he didn’t even criticize him. Instead, he put his big arm around the man’s shoulder and said, ‘To show you I’m sure that you’ll never do this again, I want you to service my F-51 tomorrow.’“*
By calmly and objectively assessing the situation, undistorted by emotion, Hoover is clearly able to perceive the sincerity of the mechanic’s remorse, therefore he forgives him. The mechanic’s burden is lifted and Hoover wins for himself a most loyal mechanic for the rest of his flying days. Objectivity and peaceful circumspection enable clear thinking, thus allowing for the appropriate response in most situations.
*Carnegie, Dale. How to win friends & influence people. Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print
In the midst of a crowd jockeying for space to get on board an orange line train on a chilly spring morning in Boston, Kaylor spots a familiar face. Nico, his college roommate, smiles at the sight of his old friend and moves toward him. In their conversation it comes to light that Nico was laid off a year ago and is having a difficult time coping. “This whole system is messed up, man. A third of the jobs in my department were moved to India, do you believe that? Profit permeates all decision making,” Nico says to his friend.
Sensing the deep frustration in Nico’s words, Kaylor encourages his friend to avoid pessimism. “Imagine a man who is heading to Forest Hills but takes the train going the opposite direction to Oak Grove. Upon exiting the train at Oak Grove, does this man blame the train driver or the longstanding train routes?”
“No … but what does this have to do with me?” replies Nico.
“You have the choice to hop on any of the many trains at the train station but you are then subject to its routes and schedule, you cannot get on the Oak Grove train and somehow expect it to get you to Forest Hills. As with the trains so is it with a man’s thoughts. Avoid the train of pessimism if you wish to get to peace.”
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are”
~ James Allen
A week before Rupiah Sata left for the United States, she visited her dear friend Chanda in a final attempt to persuade her to apply for the American Visa Lottery. To appease the unrelenting Rupiah, Chanda promised to apply before the November 24th deadline. “I have no intention of leaving Zambia and my application will not even be selected, but if it makes you happy I will apply,” she said smiling.
A few months later Chanda, who had completely forgotten about her application, received a letter at work informing her that of the 13 million applications received by the U.S. Department of State, hers was among the 55,000 randomly chosen. She sat on the information for weeks and told no one about it, not even Rupiah. What would she do in America? Her home, friends and family were all in Zambia. She enjoyed her job and was well compensated as a senior manager in a technology company in the hearth of the capital city, Lusaka. There was no reason to leave all this behind only to start afresh in a new country she knew very little about.
In quiet moments, she sometimes heard a subtle but clear voice within reminding her that her selection for the American visa was no accident. She ignored the voice as best she could for she was comfortable in Lusaka. For affirmation on her decision to remain in Lusaka, she confided in her father who to her surprise encouraged her to seek guidance prayerfully. “This is a big decision that should not be taken lightly, let us be guided by the wisdom of creation and not by our own short-sighted thinking,” he said lovingly. Chanda prayed for clarity for weeks and would sometimes hear that same subtle voice admonishing her to move to America but she needed more ‘proof’ that this was indeed the right move. “What if my inner voice is wrong, what if I am unable to get a good job there, what if…” With her intellectual pondering and fears, she forgot her father’s advice.
Deep in sleep one night, she was awoken by loud shouts and cries. Armed robbers had gotten past security and broken into the house demanding money. They headed straight to the master bedroom with their guns and found Chanda hiding inside her closet. “Where is the man of the house, where is the money,” they shouted impatiently. Chanda, in shock, pointed to her jewelry case by the mirror and to her bag on the floor beside the bed. “Take the money, take everything,” she pleaded. They grabbed all they could hurriedly and escaped as they heard distant sounds of police sirens. From that day onward, she could no longer sleep at night for more than a couple of hours. Her performance at work suffered due largely in part to her lack of sleep, anxiety and restlessness. Life in Lusaka very quickly became unbearable and she knew it was time to move to the United States.
In the United States, she reconnected with Rupiah and for the first time in weeks felt like herself again . After the traumatizing event of the robbery and the sleepless nights that followed, Chanda was ready for a new beginning and was prepared to face any challenge. Her educational qualifications were not recognized in the U.S. so she, a senior manager at one of the premier companies in Zambia, had to go back to school while working as a cashier at a local grocery store in order to support herself. She was always interested in medicine and decided to use this opportunity to begin a new career. For nine years, she took on the rigors of medical school along with two part time jobs. Not once did she feel that her work at the grocery store was beneath her, not once did she reminisce of her days as a senior manager, not once did she complain. Her experience with the robbery gave her CONVICTION in the rightness of her new path. She persevered with the trust of a child confident of its parent’s protection and guidance. She would later go on to find her calling as a naturopathic doctor and unearth great medicinal benefits of plants that ameliorate effects of mental illnesses.
A deep reflection of past experiences will reveal the loving guidance which surrounds us even in the most challenging of times. The acknowledgment of this high guidance gives one the strength to persevere through any difficulty with victorious confidence.