"Sharashkas"
"You have the right to arrange your own life
under the blue sky and the hot sun,
to get drink of water, to stretch,
to travel wherever you like....
What about the main thing in life, all its riddles?
If you want, I'll spell it out for you right now.
Do not pursue what is illusionary - property and position:
all that is gained at the expense of your nerves,
decade after decade, and is confiscated in one fell
night. Live with a steady superiority over life ...
don't be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn
after happiness: it is, after all, the same: the
bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never
fills the cup to overflowing.
It is enough if you don't freeze in the cold and if
thirst and hunger don't claw at your insides. If
your back isn't broken, if your feet can walk, if
both arms can bend, if both eyes can see, if
both ears hear, then whom should you envy? And why?
Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub
your eyes and purify your heart - and prize
above all else in the world those who love you
and who wish you well. Do not hurt them or
scold them, and never part from any of them in
anger; after all, you simply do not know: it
might be your last act ..... "
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
4 comments:
I've always loved this one .. first read it about 23 years ago. Have it printed out and stuck to my fridge door:-)
Both sobering and inspiring, isn't it?
Thanks for your comment, Susan.
'The bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never
fills the cup to overflowing'.
I find the last paragraph inspiring, but, I don’t agree with the above for some the bitter does last forever which is why there are so many families broken.
I want to believe that the sweet fills the cup to overflowing, I want to believe that love, affection, caring and all the other words that expresses the deep feelings between 2 people, between a family really matters.
Patricia
Hi Patricia, thank you for your comment.
I can identify with your statement. Life can be bitter and can deal us some crushing blows - sadly, many that affect us forever.
Unfortunately the media, advertising and some "happiness gurus" can lead us to believe that life is supposed be something of a paradise. We are accosted with "happily ever after" stories and visuals of wealth and "the good life". It can be so easy to set our standards by those illusions and to feel cheated. However, for the vast majority of the world's population, life is extremely hard.
Perhaps we need to be able to get ourselves to the realization and acceptance of the fact that life is hard. Once we do that, we can set realistic expectations. By doing that, instead of most things falling short of our expectations, we can have a more even spread of joys and disappointments.
Unconditional love is possibly something we only learn to experience once we have children - when we learn to be able to separate the person from the action. We learn that although we may not love - or even accept - certain actions, we can still love the person.
This kind of love, realistic expectations and living more in the moment, may be a key to coping a little better and being able to experience moments of joy, despite life's setbacks.
The things Solzhenitsyn talks about are lessons learnt from suffering - not from living in a state of perfection. That should give us hope.
I wish I could be more encouraging. I can only say that when all is said and done, life is about relationships - and about building character. Love is the key. Not looking for it, but giving it.
(That doesn't mean becoming a doormat for people to abuse, though! There's a time to be strong and to resist abuse, albeit with love rather than in bitterness.)
I wish you well - may Christ light your footsteps.
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