Clever
or Wise?
“Always
remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than
you think, and twice as beautiful as you’d ever imagined. Yesterday I was
clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I’m changing
myself.”
Rumi
It’s
always good to start the new year off with some Sufi wisdom from Rumi. I’m
trying to cover my bases on this second day of 2022. I’m approaching this year like
a lion tamer entering a cage full of hungry animals—with respect and vigilance.
Yesterday in Birmingham the temperature was 79 degrees. Tornado warnings ran
the length of the state until about 10:00 p.m. Tomorrow morning the temperature
will be 28. I think Mother Nature is tired of our indifference and abuse and
has launched a campaign to teach us some manners. This is when we want to pay
close attention to her wants and needs, people.
The
part of the quote above that I love are the last two sentences: “Yesterday I
was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I’m changing
myself.” Rumi knew in the 13th century that changing the world
requires change in human hearts and minds. Also, that clever and wise are not
the same thing, and that cleverness without wisdom has the potential to be enormously
destructive. In a paradoxical way, humans are the problem and only humans can
find the solutions. We have come to believe that more is always better, that
continuous growth is sustainable, that we have possession of the planet to use
as we please, and that God is always on our side. All of that is magical
thinking.
I am
praying that 2022 will be the year we all realize that we don’t own this planet.
It’s on loan to us as a trust—think of it as a long-term lease. And it can be taken
away just as easily as it was given.
Last month in the Alabama
game against Georgia, when it came down to the wire and Alabama was behind,
Nick Saban called his team to the sidelines and asked them one simple question:
“Who’s going to step-up?” Of course, they did step up, and won the game in
overtime. So, we might ask ourselves the same question: “Who’s going to step
up?” We are braver, stronger, smarter, and more beautiful than we think. But
are we wiser? In 2022, I have a feeling we’re going to find out.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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