Thanks to Michael at Spontaneous Arising for this excerpt from Hazrat Inayat Khan
"Since there is faith these days, but absence of inner life, there seems to be a greater need of the inner life than there has ever been before. It is the head quality which is developed and it is the heart quality which needs to be developed in order to bring balance in life. Life, so balanced, is then prepared for the inner culture or spiritual life.
Many consider sentiment something quite unimportant, something that should be kept aside from the central theme of life today which is intellectuality. No one who has given a thought to the deeper side of life will deny for one moment the power and inspiration that manifest themselves once the heart is kindled.
A person with heart quality need not be simple, he need not discard intellect; only the heart quality produces that perfume in the intellect which is as fragrance in a flower. Morals learned from logic are dry morals, a fruit without juice, a flower without fragrance.
It is the heart quality that as a course of nature produces virtues which no one can teach; a loving person, a person with sympathy in his heart, teaches morals through himself. It is the balance of mind and heart, or the balance of thought and feeling that makes the ground ready for sowing the seed of the inner life."
We can but attempt to improve ourselves to be the change we want to see in the world.
4 comments:
Very impressive write up full of philosophy that should not be ignored! I want to see a different world.The world free from hunger and starvation,free from wars,free from diseases,full of democracy in the real sense of the word,the world free from terrorism fear,free from environment destruction.If I am the change,then I am happy because I am starting the marathon.
I'm glad you like the post Jeff,
There's misery aplenty in the world and we each as individuals can make small differences for a positive change in our every day lives.
I find it amazing how I (we) need reminders of the most simplistic values at times.
We must not underestimate the difference that we ourselves can make with a positive attitude towards others and ourselves.
I'm glad you've joined the marathon but I suspect you were started before you knew it :)
"Many consider sentiment something quite unimportant, something that should be kept aside from the central theme of life today which is intellectuality."
Man... that brought back to mind a comment that was made about my landscape photos, when I was discussing a possible show at a restaurant in Columbus, OH. One of the owners (they were both from NYC) said that they were nice, but weren't relevant to people in an urban setting, and what if I juxtaposed them with images of warehouses and empty lots and such.
And I was sitting there thinking, "Since when did reverence for nature become irrelevant?" I've since seen art criticism/lingo that puts what I photograph into the category "sentimentalism," but I don't buy it... In line with this part of the posted excerpt -- "the power and inspiration that manifest themselves once the heart is kindled" -- I was and am motivated to trip the shutter because of my presence amid and the emotion elicited by Place and Light. It's a heart response.
mr. damon,
I think your experience is very telling of most urban dwellers today. Your desire to trip the shutter is what I think many people would find lacking in their own lives if they took the time to consider it.
Responding to our environment with our hearts is a very vital thing; and your heart's response to what you see comes through in your photography - I find so many of your photos illicit a feeling of wonder.
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