my.escape

gone.

will i be back?
i don't know.
maybe i've started elsewhere.
maybe never. again.

sábado, abril 05, 2003

[ 57. Sars Hols Day 10: A Boat ]

Once a foolish man built a boat. He wanted it to be the grandest, most talked about boat that ever sailed. He outfitted his craft with colourful sails, complex rigging, with decks made from beautiful teakwood and fittings of polished brass. As he built, he fantasized upon the anticipated admiration and applause from the crowd. Because no one would ever see the underside of the boat, the man saw little need to be concerned about the boat’s keel, or for that matter, anything that had to do with the issue of properly distributed weight or ballast. “Why should I spend money or time on what is out of anyone’s sight?”

When the day came for the boat’s maiden voyage, the people joined him at dockside. A bottle of champagne was broken over the bow, and he set sail. A few miles out to sea, a storm arose. There were sudden wind gusts in excess of forty knots and waves about fifteen feet. The boat began to shudder and water swept over the sides. Within minutes, the colourful sails were in shreds, the splendid mast splintered in pieces, the teakwood decks were awash with water.

When most boats would have righted themselves after such a battering, this one did not. Because its builder had ignored the importance of what was below the waterline. There was no weight there. In a moment when a well-designed keel and adequate ballast might have saved the ship, they were nowhere to be found. The builder had concerned himself with the appearance of things and not enough with resilience and stability in the secret, unseen places where storms are withstood.

Furthermore, because he had such confidence in his sailing abilities, he had not contemplated the possibility of a situation he could not manage. And that’s why later investigations revealed that there were no rescue devices aboard: rafts, life jackets, emergency radios. Only when the wreckage was washed ashore did the drowned man’s friend discover all of this. “Look,” they said, “this boat lacks an adequate keel, and there is far more weight above the waterline than below.”

What does this story mean? Storms and uncertainties happen in real life. Sooner or later, everyone gets tested by storms. What do we do to anchor ourselves in times of uncertainty. I would like to suggest a few things:

Build up your inner resources - seek solitude to affirm yourself rather than constantly needing the approval or company of others
Anchor your life on basic values - believe in yourself and the power of perseverance; and keep focusing on your goals
Know that we can’t control everything that happens to us; but there is one thing we can control: how we respond to what happens to us. And that is what counts! We need to stop worrying about things we can’t change and get started on the things we can.

(Adapted from TJC website: Notes From the Principal - Maintaining an Even Keel In Uncertain Times... 4th April 2003)

Shannon left at 10:37 a. m..

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