Things You Give Up When You Grow
André Derain
Things You Give Up When You Grow
Popular wisdom would have us believe that relentless growth is the goal. Motivational speakers tell us to charge forward and leave everything behind that doesn’t serve our future success. But seldom do they ask, what do we give up when we grow? It’s not obvious that in the process of discarding all that colors your present to make room for what you hope to manifest in your future you won’t lose some wonderful things.
Growth is part of the nature of the world. Put a seed into good soil and it will grow almost every time. We need the growth that Allah has guaranteed to prosper as a collective human species. And yet, there are also times when we want to capture a moment in the process of something or someone’s growth cycle for whatever special spark we see in it. Seeds are fabulous when they grow into fruits and flowers, but some seeds are also magnificent in and of themselves. In fact, some seeds are "super foods" and the plants they grow into are not nearly as nutritious—both the seed and the plant serve a purpose. I was thinking the other day about my children, how every stage of their growth is precious and offers something unique to enjoy. As parents, we want our children to grow but we also recognize that there are beautiful qualities about them that wane as new qualities appear in their growth process. I often feel that I wish I could keep them at their current age forever and yet that doesn’t contradict with my desire to see them grow into adulthood.
Just the other day my daughter pretended to fall asleep in my arms. And while it was just a game to her it reminded me of all the times she fell asleep in my arms as an infant. It’s such a rare occurrence now. I looked at her face almost to study it and felt sorrow for how rare these moments had become. It seems to me that it might be a good idea to cultivate a high tolerance for ambiguity in life so that we can properly embrace seemingly contradictory thoughts like wanting a moment to last forever and desiring the maturation of a moment as well.
On Missing the Mark
In Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 classic, Walden "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve."
In the Bible, the figure of Jesus consistently points out the character flaws and internal moral deficits that evil acts are born out of. Rather than lamenting outward acts of ill which was the concern of the rabbinical class to the lay people for generations, Jesus strikes at the root of the problem: the diseases of the heart that precede and spawn sin. By addressing the lust that precedes illicit sex, the hatred that precedes violence, the greed that precedes theft and so on, he seeks to call people’s attention to curing the deficits in their own hearts so that their actions can follow suit.
In the Bible, Jesus is quoted as saying:
"[You] were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But what I tell you is this: If a man looks on a woman with a lustful eye, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
While unfortunately, some take this statement to mean that Jesus is unconcerned with outward actions, from an Islamic purview we see that he is advocating that people take on a greater amount of personal accountability not less. His words strike at the root of the problem of evil, helping people who are looking to live righteously holistically achieve their goal.
August Morning, Kazuo Nakamura
The Mercy We Need
Today we welcome Rabi’ al-Awwal, the month of the blessed Prophet’s birth. I pray that we are moved by it in a meaningful way.
Peace and blessings on the one who conveyed the message.
Peace and blessings on the Prophet for as long as the sun rises and sets.
Peace and blessings on the Prophet for as long as the moon waxes and wanes.
Peace and blessings on the Prophet for as long as birds continue to soar and humans continue to walk.
Peace and blessing on the one who sacrificed his comfort in order to complete his mission.
Peace and blessings on the one who never turned people away.
Peace and blessings on the one who returns the salaam even though he is in the grave.
Peace and blessings on the one we believed in though we never saw.