Reach
Out
“Stay
together, friends.
Don't
scatter and sleep.
Our
friendship is made
of
being awake.”
Rumi
“I
sought my god,
my
god I could not see.
I
sought my soul,
my
soul eluded me.
I
sought my brother,
and
found all three.”
Anonymous
I
ran across one of the legends of the Holy Grail in the book,
Radical Acceptance, by Tara Brach, Ph.D. In it the young
knight, Parsifal, wanders into a devastated land, parched, with
nothing growing. It is a wasteland, but he finds the people of the
town behaving as though nothing has happened. They go about their
business in a dull and robotic manner as if under a spell. Parsifal
is invited to the castle where he learns that the king is dying. He
goes into the bedchamber and sees the king weak and pale, like his
kingdom. Parsifal wants to ask questions, 'What has befallen you?',
or, 'What can we do?', but is told it would be improper for someone
of his stature to question the king, so he goes on his way. Outside
the town, he is met on the road by a powerful sorceress, Kundri. She
asks why he didn't ask the king about himself. In a rage she tells him
he could have saved the king's life if he hadn't been so cowardly and
callous. So Parsifal returns to the castle, marches right up the bed
of the dying king, kneels and gently asks, “Oh, my lord, what ails
thee?” Color returns to the king's face, he gets up from his death
bed and is returned to health. Throughout the kingdom everything
comes to life, the people sing and dance, the crops grow and all is
well.
When
we are cut off from one another in any meaningful way, life has
little joy to offer. But when someone reaches out to touch us, we can
be restored in an instant. Sometimes just a phone call from a friend
asking, “How are you?” with genuine interest, is enough to recall
our souls from the wasteland. We human beings are warm-blooded
mammals who don't survive well in isolation.
We
need to run with the pack,
lie
down with the pride,
belong
to the clan,
have
a role in the tribe.
We
are not lone wolves.
As
much as I love technology, I think it has done humans a disservice.
It has duped us into feeling connected when we are not. It keeps us
one degree of separation from other warm-bloods.
If
you are lonely, reach out today. If you know someone who lives alone, give
them a call. Ask them, “What ails thee, friend?” You may be the
Parsifal who calls them back to life.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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