Building Life

By growing both thorns and flowers, the lesson nature truly aims to teach is this: pleasant things exist alongside unpleasant ones in the world. A person should develop the courage to accept both. Another poet, inspired by this second lesson, has said: Gulshan-parast hoon mujhe gul hi nahin azeez Kaanton se bhi nibah kiye ja raha hoon main “I love the garden, and not just its flowers; I’ve learned to live peacefully even with its thorns.” Life is ultimately about the art of endurance. Someone who delights in flowers but gets angry at thorns can never truly succeed in this world. Such a mindset goes against the way nature is designed, and anyone who opposes that design cannot expect to find success. The beauty of a flower is its own protection. Its attractiveness and fragrance are enough to ensure that, in the garden of the world, it will find a place and stay safe from harmful forces. Similarly, if a person develops a remarkable quality within himself, he too can live in the world like a flower— free from the threat of thorns. THE PRINCIPLE OF GIVING On the branches of a tree, green leaves grow. For a while, they remain the decoration of the branch. But as soon as their greenness fades, the tree refuses to keep them.