“Sanity often means
that we don’t act on our
first impulse. We begin to
make choices that help us
rather than harm us.” “By be-
ing open minded, we’ve opened
ourselves to new ideas. We’ve
stepped away from the prob-
lem and toward a spiritual
solution.” (How Al Anon
Works, p. 47)
“Sometimes
incompetence is
useful. It helps you
keep an open
mind.
Roberto Cavalli (1940 – ) Italian inventor / fashion designer
How have you been open to seeking spiritual solutions, lately?
Roberto Cavalli Brief Bio (5:59 )
Life is a Highway – Rascal Flatts (5:05)
The Ignorant Man
There was a village in a kingdom. There was living a milkman. His name was Deenu. [And] had built his hut far away from his village, in the woods. He loved the quietness of the woods rather than the noisy atmosphere of the village. [L]ived in his hut with his two cows. [And] fed them well and took proper care of them. Everyday he took the two cows to a nearby lake to bath them. The two cows gave more milk. With the milk that the two cows gave, he earned enough money to live happily.
Deenu was an honest man. Though he was content, at times he would be restless. “There is so much wrong and evil in this world. Is there nobody to guide the people?” this thought made his sad every now and then.
One evening, the ignorant man, Deenu was returning home after selling milk in the village. He saw a saint sitting under a tree and meditating. [S]lowly walked up to him and waited for the saint to open his eyes. He was happy to be with the saint for some time. [And] decided to wait there itself till the saint opened his eyes.
…
After a while, the saint slowly opened his eyes. He was surprised to see a man patiently sitting beside him.
“What do you want?” asked the saint humbly.
“I want to know what the path to Truth and Piety is? Where shall I find Honesty?” asked Deenu.
The saint smiled and said, “Go to the pond nearby and ask the fish the same question. She will give you the answer.”
Then as asked to do, the ignorant man, Deenu went to the nearby pond and asked the same question to the fish. The fish said, “O kind man! First, bring me some water to drink.” Deny was surprised. He said, “You live in water. But you still want water to drink? How strange!”
…
At this moment, the fish replied, “You are right. And that gives you the answer to your question as well. Truth, Piety and honesty are inside the heart of a man. But being ignorant, he searches for them in the outer world. Instead of wandering here and there, look within yourself and you will find them.”
This gave an immense satisfaction to Deenu. He thanked the fish and walked home a wiser man. He changed the way in which he saw this world as well as himself. From that day, Deenu never felt restless.
He took his best to carry this massage to the rest of his fellow human beings. All his friends accepted him as their master and consulted him to overcome their mental problems. He led them properly.
“Being able to make decisions weighing the pros and cons about being clouded with the doubt or thought of when I’m going to get my next fix.”
I find that I am able to slow down, focus more and pay attention to what I am doing in the precise moment. For instance, now when I am driving in my car I find that I am able to concentrate on my driving and I practice paying attention by driving as attentive as I can.
Good morning everyone + Happy Wednesday. Thanx Korey for all your hard work in presenting our daily reflections. You are an inspiration to all. May God continue to bless you.
I am always in awe when I view a video on the cosmos. I was but a boy when man ventured into space + landed on the moon. Now, we have images of the ever growing universe. Where will we travel to in the future.
Join us in our walk in Sobriety + together we will travel the universe. Blessings. BB
Through spiritual practice and stopping drinking, I’ve started to see my life again being full of possibilities. I had started to see my life as “this is all there is or will be.” A world of possibility is how I viewed life when I was young before addictive behavior took over my life.