A healthy, human being is curious and curiosity is rarely within the confines of the familiar. There must be some sass and kick ass spirit involved for a person to make unique discoveries for themselves. There needs to be a willingness to get oneself into a mess. I was always fond of tricking myself into a drama. Sometimes if we stay where we are we will stay to watch a spirit decay or atrophy. If we go forward there will be the unknown. It is scary. This is when trouble is medicine.
Hafiz tells us a story about his student who cannot get out of their own way as they are overtaken by fear. Then Hafiz allows him some trouble and the student realizes he has acquired a taste for it and his life begins to move forward.
Thank you for listening.
Music: This song by The Clash is a nod to the popular series, Stranger Things . In the beginning of the series the children are practicing their characters getting in and out of trouble through a role playing game, Dungeons & Dragons. This song captures that spirit and reflects that feeling of being on the edge of making a discovery that feels like it may effect all of the rest one's life.
The original post in this series of poems by Hafiz can be found here.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz and translated by Daniel Ladinsky can be purchased here.