Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder
by Heather
I recently came across a passage from the Buddhist tradition that reminded me so much of this Rumi quote, and I wanted to share it …
“May I be a guard for those who are protectorless,
A guide for those who journey on the road,
For those who wish to go across the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.”
–The Way of the Bodhisattva 3.18
Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. –Rumi
On New Year’s Eve, I was asked if I’d made any New Year’s resolutions, and I mentioned this quote from Rumi that I’d recently seen and loved.
I think that mostly I’m a lamp, and sometimes a ladder or a lifeboat–but it’s difficult to accurately assess your own contribution, or anyone else’s, for that matter. It’s often impossible to know what impact we’re having, or will have. But it is possible to know whether I’m creating light, or darkness … that much I can tell.
I remember a coworker from years ago who told me she volunteered at a suicide prevention hotline. I’m not sure whether it occurred to me then, but it certainly does now, that she must have had a very particular reason for choosing that volunteer opportunity. She was a lifeboat.
We can, though, be lifeboats without…
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