Monday, February 12, 2007

Letting Go

I just heard the greatest story:

A man was walking on a cliff, slipped and fell, and then hung by his fingers over the edge. He hung there, and he shouted: "Help! Is there anybody up there who can help me?!"

A voice rang out like thunder: "This is God, I can help. Trust me and let go."

The man hesitated for a moment, and then shouted: "Is there anybody else up there!?"

The really funny part is that depending where you are on your spiritual development, that man will either sound really sane or really dumb.
Letting go is one of the most difficult things to learn, and one of the most important.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

In response to your Zen-like "letting go" -dilemma, I direct you to the page of this really cool Buddha Machine.

Anyone ordered one yet?

Hannah said...

Any particular reason for sharing this with us, Eolake?

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Because it made me laugh very loud, and it's a clue to an important truth and something I've been working on a lot in recent years.

Hannah said...

What's the truth? I can see both comments making sense, here.

Anonymous said...

Hannah said...
What's the truth?

In the Lord Jesus and his divine words.

laurie said...

I cried out for a long long time and there was no answer. Then I saw it wasn't a branch I was clinging to but God's neck. I was choking him to death. I let him go and made myself over from the primordial ooze, and formed myself into a being, and began the long trek up the proverbial mountain. Seeing it all as a dream, somewhere along the way I decided to form wings.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Some of that sounds familiar.

Anonymous said...

Here are some quotes about religion.

“Faith is believing what you know isn't so.”
~ Mark Twain

So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.”
~ Bertrand Russell

“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
~ Stephen Roberts

“A fanatic is a man who consciously over compensates a secret doubt.”
~ Aldous Huxley

“A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.”
~ Winston Churchill

“Calling atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair colour.”
~ Don Hirschberg

“Of all religions the Christian is without doubt the one which should inspire tolerance most, although up to now the Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.”
~ Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694-1778)

“There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages.”
~ Richard Lederer

“Praying is like a rocking chair — it'll give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.” ~ Gypsy Rose Lee

“When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called Religion.”
~ Robert M. Pirsig, the author of Zen and the Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance.

“Religion is all bunk.”
~ Thomas Edison.

“Nearly everything you read signed "God" is just somebody putting their words in My mouth.”
~ God

Anonymous said...

Signalroom,
I'm not sure where this comes from exactly, but it's very beautiful, And deep.

TTL,
Superb quotes, man.

And the Buddha Machine? I want one!!! (Pleaaaaase, Mom?)
Uh... what does it do, by the way?

laurie said...

It just came out of my deeper place this morning. It comes out of what's happening for me right now.
Thank you Pascal.

Laurie

Anonymous said...

pascal said: "And the Buddha Machine? I want one!!! (Pleaaaaase, Mom?)
Uh... what does it do, by the way?"


From the pages of Boomkat, the U.K. distributor:

Following a glowing review from Pitchforkmedia, demand for the Buddha Machine has reached fever pitch ... This is a quite unbeleivable, utterly unique soundbox from China, which is causing quite a stir worldwide ... Alan Bishop bought twenty four of these on sight and Brian Eno bought eight! (how's that for apocalyptical math?). The Buddha Machine is a hardware loop player, built kind of like a little AM radio, playing 9 different built-in loops on an endless cycle, with one simple button allowing you to fade between them - something that creates an oddly compulsive effect on the senses. Available in 6 different colors (shipped randomly), the Buddha machine has an Audio out jack for widescreen audio enjoyment, and also an integrated speaker, volume control, and comes with 2 x AA batteries. Simple and beautifully bizarre.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Is it a joke, does this thing exist?

Anonymous said...

I don't know. I guess the only way to find out is to place an order. :-)

The New York Times has a mention of it here. Maybe you should ask about this from their technology columnist?

Anonymous said...

I once had a hi-tech columnoscopy.

Um... too much information there, perhaps? ;-)

Anonymous said...

“Praying is like a rocking chair — it'll give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.” ~ Gypsy Rose Lee

I've had many prayers answered by my Lord. According to scripture we are told to "pray without ceasing."
I'll stay in my rocking chair always swaying back and forth because I know my Father listens :)
Sometimes He tells me yes and even no or wait a while, but he always answers my prayers.
Garth Brooks had a song out once called I think, Unanswered Prayer?" There are no "unanswered prayers."
What he thought of as unanswered was a simple "no." Because God knows what is best for us :)

Anonymous said...

“Praying is like a rocking chair — it'll give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere.” ~ Gypsy Rose Lee

Poor misguided soul. How sad. Praying is the breath of life itself.

Anonymous said...

“Religion is all bunk.”
~ Thomas Edison.

That's true Tommy Boy, I'm glad that Christ is man's redeemer, not dead religion. Anybody can have religion, but only a handful know that Jesus Christ is the ultimate key to heaven's gate.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Or Thomas Edison either. Simple faith, simple answer.
Thank you Lord Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins. I gladly accept you as my personal saviour :)

Anonymous said...

Terry said...
There are no "unanswered prayers."


Depends on who you pray to. Praying, in French at least, is synonymous of beseeching. And some humans can be beseeched in vain. For decades sometimes. "Oh, the humanity!"

As for the Lord always answering your prayers, even with a "no" sometimes, well, I just think you're fortunate. Not everybody who listens manages to hear an answer.
Hey, if it works, you should definitely keep at it! :-)

Jennifer,
I don't like to use the term "poor soul" just for people who don't have the same notion of happiness as me. When I do use it, it's only for people who are forcibly telling themselves they are happy, while in reality they are in deep suffering, and everybody else can plainly see it, whatever their creed.
An example of such folks is a bigot blinded by his prejudices and clichés, so much that they'll convince themselves that praying the Lord can be a replacement for true christian love and being discerning. Because I know some such people, they keep saying they are happy, to convince themselves, and as soon as they are in private the huge stress makes them crumble on their knees. They don't realize the name of God alone is not bliss. God cannot help those who don't help themselves. Such are His own rules. Salvation, serenity, happiness, they must come from within or they shall never come.
Should a thousand Jesus Christs die on a cross, people like Osama Bin Laden (to name just one) will not have their sins redeemed as long as they don't realize them and repent FIRST. Which might mot happen before the end of Times. Evil can be so stupidly stubborn. :-(

Me, I don't pray, in the conventionally established sense. But I try my best to love my fellow man, before claiming I love God which I cannot see. In the words of His own Son...

GG Wellington,
Please answer me this : how can you know whether the voice you'd be hearing came from God, or from some guy out of sight on top of that cliff, holding a loudspeaker, and playing a sick prank on you?
Would you bet your life it can only be what you have faith in manifesting itself, without making sure?
Would God approve?

Just spiritual food for thought...

Anonymous said...

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.”
~ Winston Churchill

I believe this was in reference to Adolph Hitler, not Christians. People like Bin Laden also.

Anonymous said...

Connie said: "I believe this was in reference to Adolph Hitler, not Christians. People like Bin Laden also."

Can't say who Churchill might have had in mind when saying the above, but if you read Mein Kampf you will discover that Hilter was in fact a very intelligent person. His philosophical abilities were clearly above that of which we would today refer to as a (religious) fanatic.