Words that Encourage us to be all we are and more

Posted by: livingforacause | Categories: 1

February
17

People will express their creativity. There will be musicians, there will be dancers, there will be painters, carpenters. There will be all sorts of creativity around the world. But nobody is competing with anyone else; he is simply doing his best  It is his joy. The joy is not in competing, the joy is not in coming first; the joy is in doing it. It is not outside the act, it is intrinsic to the act. That’s my image of the new humanity. We will work, but our work will be our life, our very soul. Whatever we do, it won’t matter.

I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln. When he became the president of America, his father was a shoemaker. And, naturally, egotistic people were very much offended that a shoemaker’s son should become the president. They were aristocrats, who thought it was their birthright to be in the highest government post. A shoemaker’s son? On the first day, as Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, just in the middle, one man stood up. He was a very rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.” And the whole Senate laughed; they thought that they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln.

But Lincoln – and that type of person is made of a totally different mettle – Lincoln looked at the man and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes in your house for your family, and there will be many others here… because the way he made shoes, nobody else can. He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes, he poured his whole soul in it. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself; if you have any complaint I can make another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator, and I am proud of my father.”

The whole Senate was struck dumb. They could not understand what kind of man Abraham Lincoln was. He had made shoe making an art, a creativity. And he was proud because his father did the job so well that not even a single complaint had ever been heard. And even though he was the president of America, he was ready to make another pair if there was any complaint. The man looked silly. Lincoln insisted, “You have to speak! Why have you become dumb? You wanted to make me a fool, and now, look all around: you have made a fool of yourself.”

It does not matter what you do. What matters is how you do it – of your own accord, with your own vision, with your own love. Then whatever you touch becomes gold.”

Bravo, Osho!