“Where there is love, there is life.”-Gandhi
There’s a story of a man who knows happiness even without hanging onto possessions. The world knows not who he is, some sees him as wanderer and others as a philosopher.
In a dark alley in the middle of the night, there’s no moon that hangs in the sky.
A man searching with a dirty pair of hands into a metal trash can near the left side of the wall.
Sounds of the plastic bags and the clinging of the materials with the metal trash can is the only thing heard in this noiseless surrounding.
The beggar with his hands shoved into the odor-filled trash like a disobedient child shoving his dinner into his mouth and making a mess all over his face despite his mother’s reprimanding.
He was wearing an old denim jacket with the sides of them very worn out and containing dirt stains. A messy beard styled on his chin and his black hair like that of bird’s nest.
Finishing scavenging a dinner for his stomach the homeless beggar laid himself close to the white trash can. Even though there was such a horrendous stench as of some prolonged beer bottles the man was not in the least disturbed.
Resting his messy head of hair on the dark wall of the alley the hobo seems to close his tired eyes in serene relaxation.
With his foot crisscrossed in a familiar mediation and hands folded resting on his legs.
Nothing about the loneliness and scarcity of his situation seemed to shown on his face. Resting no fear or worried for the future.
The next morning the beggar sat on a comfortable corner of a busy street as people pass by.
It seemed like a familiar routine of his as his eyes watched the goers with their serious businesslike expressions for life.
In comparison he observed all that under the sun with a serenity and embracing the qualities of life without a bother of pride.
Sometimes a person would have a cross kind of look when noticing the calm beggar on the busy street. It was a deeply condescending type of look as though saying “Have you got no honor of yourself?”.
Meanwhile sometimes a passerby would shake their head when noticing the calm beggar on the busy street. It was a deeply hopeless type of look as though saying “The world is filled with grief, poverty, and fear”.
Yet this morning was a more cheerful day as a well-dressed woman was walking by and threw down a coin where he was sitting and quickly walked passed.
He immediately came to his senses realizing this familiar sound and scooped the coin with his dirt stained hands as though it was precious treasure.
His face immediately had a happy smile as he observes the coin with elation. Eyes beaming with an unblinking joy at this sight.
Standing up from the floor he twirled himself in the air performing a short dance and with a loud cheerful singing that noticeably disturbed the attentions of the goers about to attend to a new day of work.
In the afternoon under the balm of the shadows of the trees in the park the homeless man is seen surrounded by a group of birds on the ground pecking seeds.
Whistling a joyous tune as he sprinkled some more seeds on the ground for his newfound friends. There was a certain happiness from giving all he has even with an empty stomach.
Finished sprinkling the seeds from the white plastic bag in his hand he sat on the grass under the tree as he watches the birds eating.
While watching this scene the peaceful hobo notices a friend greeting him from the distance. His hand had a red bag containing some carrots fresh from home.
Standing up with a bright smile the hobo thanked his friend for the gift, “Oh what have you brought me? Carrots!!”
“Had some leftover from home, thought it will fill your empty stomach,” the friend mentioned while taking a look at the birds pecking on the seeds.
Taking out a shapeless carrot from the bag and examining with glee, “What a coincident, I just thought of wanting some carrots.”
Bringing it to his nose for a sniff of the freshness of the vegetable from his friend.
But instead of taking a bite of the vegetable the loving beggar broke a sizable chunk and threw them in the air like sprinkling fresh rose petals.
His friend watched his surprising action with a mouth agape, “W-What are you doing!?…I know you would be so crazy.”
The compassionate hobo laughed humorlessly while handing some carrots from the bag for his friends to share with in the action.
Life and Unity
“Support life and you shall be supported by life.”
If we only look from a larger perspective nature reveals itself as a unity that is connected to each other.
Sometimes people forget that when they are like the business people in the story lost in the details of their lives.
Yet we only need to take a look of the food that is served each night at dinnertime to notice the unity of each one of us with nature.
The amount of work from each part of the process to deliver the cooked food that we now see. The workers, the factory personals, or farmers and fishermen.
At the same time the wise hobo taught with his action we are equal and not above nature.
And this is so true because as we all are part of this continuous cycle of life. And all of nature is vital and with each breath we are nurtured by nature.
Sometimes the ignorance of mankind reveals itself through the veil of pride when a belief arises that with all the scientific force that he is above the unity of nature.
But he is brought back to reality through his toil, sickness, and vulnerability.
Pride and Worries
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”-Martin Luther King Jr
It is foolishness itself to place our personal value and importance on the amount of material possession or number of 0s in our bank account.
Power lies not in money itself, power lies in the beliefs we bestow upon it.
That’s why there’s only foolishness in him who has the world but loses the awareness of love in his heart.
Because some people place so much pride on these valuables they forget the fact that they are one with the nature of life.
And this nature of life itself is love.
Some goers viewed the beggars on the street with a perspective of hopelessness and others with judgements of condescension.
“For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.”-Jesus
But social positions doesn’t confine who a someone is or the denial of the equality of his life as part of nature.
Even though some beggars may not even have a penny to their name, there’s an awareness of love in their hearts that is equal in all creatures of this Earth.
Worry not for the days before nor the days after. But be mindful of the beauty of life in this moment. From which once gone will never return once more. Cling not to fear nor thoughts that will disturb you from peace.
Are you mindful of love and life in each heartbeat?
