"The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself." ~ Rumi from Rumi: Daylight
Mevlana Rumi: The great Islamic Persian poet and mystic.
He might be called the world's ultimate jihad warrior.
But, only if you take a moment to appreciate the true, deeply spiritual nature of the concept of jihad--a concept distorted in modern times by both extreme Islam groups and Western views.
The root of jihad means "to strive" or "to exert oneself" and has two manifestations: one internal and one external. It's interesting to note that the struggle to achieve perfection of the self has been called the greater struggle or greater "holy war" (al-jihad al-akbar) in contrast to the lesser struggle (al-jihad al-asghar), which is against injustice and oppressors in this world.
Powerful stuff.
How's your jihad?!?
More thoughts on the subject of self-mastery:
"The intelligent want self-control; children want candy."
I don't know about you, but I'd like the candy AND the self-control. :)
Seriously. (Well, actually I was being serious. :).
Self-mastery. All the wise teachers profess its power.
Nietzsche likes to say: "He who cannot command himself should obey. And many can command themselves, but much is still lacking before they can obey themselves."
And Leonardo da Vinci tells us: "One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself."
And, as we saw, another way Rumi says it: "The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself."
How about you? How's your self-mastery? Can you command yourself? And then obey?
What's one thing you know you should be doing that you're not currently doing?
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And, how about something that you are doing that you know you need to stop doing?!?
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Here's to the pursuit of self-control (and the candy that comes as a result)!
"Let's ask God to help us to self-control for one who lacks it, lacks his grace." ~ Rumi from Rumi: Daylight
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PhilosophersNotes on Rumi Daylight by Camille Adams Helminski | |||||
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