A Profound Poetry from the 13th-Century
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” — Matt 6:25
I am burning the midnight oil at the office in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Have you ever experienced the rush of work just before you run off on holiday? Well, that is exactly my situation as I hammer the keys to fill this blank space on the page in front of me.
I am frantically trying to clear my desk before I take my festive break.
My desk is cluttered with paperwork to review and sign. Emails in my packed inbox were crying for my response. And my phone? It is tuned down, in silent mode. No distraction from the unending stream of WhatsApp messages.
A perfect time to learn and to nourish my mind with materials for personal growth. I put on my Sony headphone and tuned in to YouTube. I tapped a video by Vishen Lakhiani of Mind Valley — “The Four Rules of Life that Change Your View of Everything.”
What are the odds? Vishen read a poem by the 13th-century Afghan poet, Rumi.
This poem is deep, profound and true:
“When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety.
If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without pain.
From this, I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me.
There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it.”
- Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī
