A man was walking through the jungle when he became aware that a tiger was stalking him. Stepping up his pace he discovered that the path came to a drop-off hundreds of feet deep. There was nowhere to go!
Then he noticed a thick vine hanging over the edge of the cliff. He grabbed the vine and slipped down a few feet. He looked upward and saw a ferocious tiger staring down at him. And, then he saw a mouse gnawing on the vine!
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes, he spotted a bush growing on the side of the cliff. One big red strawberry was growing in the bush. He took a bite—and it was the most delicious strawberry he had ever eaten.
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Looking at our world today many of us can identify with this man’s plight. Many are anxious about the state of our world today. Ironically, many others are quite pleased with it all.
But my focus isn’t on politics or world affairs. My focus is on how we can use our present situation to awaken spiritually. The world is a mirror of our own psyche. What we see is what we are.
Before we condemn the corruption of our leaders let us look first at the corruption within our own hearts. That which we publicly condemn we may privately envy. That which we hate in others is hidden within the shadows of our own being, waiting to be discovered.
No, our leaders are not without fault. They have their own blindness and their own sins to pay. But how can a blind man know that another is blind? As I judge others for their public sins, I condemn myself for my private ones.
Returning to our friend who’s enjoying his last supper, we see that were it not for the tiger, he would not have found the strawberry!
So often it takes a life-threatening condition or an inescapable dilemma for us to taste the beauty of our own life. “It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and when we no longer know which way to go, we have come to our real journey.”[i]
Perhaps our friend’s discovery of the strawberry was not the end of his life but the beginning of a new life hitherto unknown to him. The tigers that we fear, are but kittens compared to the power and the beauty within ourselves. And the mouse reminds us that we cannot hold on to anything for very long--nor should we.
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I was six years old when I began first grade at Saint Thomas Aquinas school. Every weekday I walked six blocks to school in the morning and back again after school. Twice a day I would pass by a home that was guarded by a gigantic and ferocious looking Doberman Pinscher. Seeing this huge dog strain against his six-foot leash, I lived in mortal fear he would come after me. Twice every day I would pray to Jesus, Mary and all the saints in heaven to make sure that the leash would hold up.
As I walked by one day I noticed that the leash was hanging on the fence—it was not attached to the dog! However, he was lying down, apparently sound asleep.
I tiptoed quietly past the house.
I almost made it, when he jumped up, growled and came after me! I ran as fast as my little leg legs could carry me. I headed down a nearby alley-- but he was right behind me. I ran as fast as I could while praying as loud as I could. And if things weren’t bad enough, I discovered that I was running down a blind alley—it ended with the backside of someone’s garage.
I pressed my little body against the gaage and prayed that death would come swiftly. I imagined his huge teeth sinking into my backside. I braced myself for the pain…
Humm. Nothing happened.
I managed to look behind me thrugh the corner of my eye… no sight of the dog. Then I looked down at my feet. The huge Doberman was on his back; his tail was wagging wildly!
I was afraid to move because had me pinned up against the garage, but I gingerly reached down and touched his belly with my finger. He seemed to like it, so I began to caress his belly with all my fingertips---his tail wagged even more. Incredulous, I began to rub his belly, and then behind his ears! He licked my face; I squealed in delight.
I was late for school that day, so I had to stay late to make up for it. But it was well worth it. I had found a new friend; and even more important I learned how love can overcome fear. (There’s the real strawberry!)
i] Thomas Berry