An ancient Sufi parable tells the story of a
young woman who longed to know her place in the world. Whilst walking through the woods one day she
saw a fox that had lost the use of its legs and wondered how it continued to
survive. As she watched, a great tiger
came to the fox carrying the remains of a meal in its mouth. The fox happily ate the food.
The next day the woman watched again, and again saw the tiger bring
fresh game to the fox to eat. The young
woman was moved by how God provided for the fox by means of the tiger. "That must be it!" she thought. "I must sit quietly in the woods and know that
God will provide all I need."
The next day she sat against a tree and waited for God to provide for
her and bring her what she needed to make her way in the world. Many days passed, and the woman was on the
verge of starvation and death. As she
laid down her head in defeat, God spoke clearly to her saying: "Young woman, open your eyes to the
truth. I gave you the strength of the
tiger and yet you have chosen to imitate the disabled fox!"
Illusions
of Insignificance
How very easy it can be to do the same.
To throw our hands up in despair at the world around us and say "but
it’s only me. I’m just one person – I
can’t possibly make a difference, because I don’t have money / time /
health." And so we begin to live the illusion
of our own insignificance, a foundation for the disconnected feelings of low
self-esteem, hopelessness and depression.
Women who choose differently stand out:
they live purposefully, create their dreams and reach their goals; often
against improbable odds. Often, they are
women we regard as courageous, confident and strong; and yet those qualities
are usually gifts they talk of gaining along the way rather than something they
already had. People who achieve do so by
knowing what they care about – where their passion lies. Passion is about being willing to take a
personal stand for something we care about or believe in.
For some women that stand might be for social or political change; for others,
physical strength and endurance; a love of learning or a commitment to a
spiritual path and practice. It matters
less exactly what we’re passionate about, than that we find what it is
that makes us feel alive.
Start
Where You Are …
Passion allows us to begin the journey to what it is we’re seeking. We can’t just sit in front of the television
– or under a tree, like the young woman in the fable – and expect that our most
treasured dreams will be delivered to our door.
We have to take that first step of finding what it is we love and making
that part of our lives.
As the writer Alice Walker said: "Whoever you are, whatever you are,
start with that …"
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