Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), as we begin today ‘let us remember this about ‘Attention’.
Our life experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are so indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once the mechanism is brought to our attention and we begin to study it, it is as if a veil has been stripped off ordinary life, and we become freer in our action and choices.
This week I bring to your attention a tale titled ‘The Intelligent Man’ from the book titled ‘Reflections’. It is a collection of fables, aphorisms and statements that challenge the conditioned mind.
It confronts the reader with unaccustomed perspectives and ideas, in an attempt to set the mind free so as to see how things really are.
The Intelligent Man
A child, full of promise, was so intelligent that his parents and his teachers encouraged him to take an equal interest in anything which caught his eye, whenever he showed that he was attracted to it.
Years later, having tried a hundred different arts, and all the customary roads to success, he was penniless and miserable, and decided to take a job.
He found himself in the office of a millionaire whom he soon saw was fairly stupid and capable of understanding only one idea at a time.
“You can have the job,” said the millionaire.
“Thank you,” said the brilliant man, “but I would like to ask you just one question.”
“And what is that?”
“I have read a great deal about you, how you understand everything you see, and how your extraordinary energy and wide interests have made you what you are. But I don’t find you to be like that at all. Furthermore, I have tried since I was a child to be like that and – look at me.”
“Don’t take it too hard, son,” said the tycoon; but millionaires like me pay people to write things like that. First, it flatters us; secondly, it ensures us a good supply of labor like your-self, people who haven’t made the grade.”
Tale from ‘Reflections’ by Idries Shah
I am sure that you will enjoy reading this book; you can buy your copy from the following link:
Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s.
Before concluding today’s episode please remember these words of a Storyteller.
My stories require, at this stage, no extra commentary, imaginings, or guesswork by you, me, or anyone else. The very worst would be that of moralizing. To explain away is to forget. Thus, let the stories which you can remember do their own work by their very diversity. Familiarize yourself with them.
Concluding today’s post and podcast episode, I thank all who take time out and read (the blog post) and listen to the episodes each week. For those who listen and have not subscribed to the podcast I suggest you do and click on the bell icon so that you can be notified for all the new episodes that get uploaded every week.
Namaste!
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