Volume
Vol. 6, The Alchemy of Happiness
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The Struggle of Life (1)
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Sub-Heading
Maturity
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Vol. 6, The Alchemy of Happiness
The Struggle of Life (1)
Maturity
From thence we come to the maturity of the intelligence, and then we see that no one can be trusted, neither the friend nor the relation. None can stand the test when it comes, all are false and none is true; and at first a person believes that this is directed specially against him. A dervish once wrote these lines on the wall of the mosque where he had spent the night, "The world believes in the ideal of God, yet knows not whether He is friend or foe."
The waves of the sea go up and down; the atom believes that they rise and fall for it; it thinks, "The wave raises me, so it is favorable to me", or, "it lowers me, so it is unfavorable." In the same way man thinks a friend is favorable or unfavorable to him; but then he realizes that this is the nature of the world. In all of us there is the Nafs, the ego, and every ego fights against the others. There is a sword in every hand, both in that of the friend and in that of the enemy. The friend kisses before he strikes; there is no other difference. And then he realizes that nothing else can be expected of the world.
The great Indian poet Tulsidas has said, "Everyone does and says as much as he has understood."
Why should a man blame another for what he cannot understand? If he has no more understanding, from whence can the poor man borrow it?
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