The Eye of the Needle … ( 04 / 07 / 2013 )
The Eye of the Needle … ( 04 / 07 / 2013 )
A great king once came to visit Farid , a wise & venerated Sufi mystic . And the king brought with him a beautiful pair of scissors made of gold & studded with diamonds — They were very valuable ; very rare .
As he enterted , he approached Farid reverently , touched Farid ’ s feet , and gave him the priceless gift … Farid then lifted the gleaming scissors , looked at them calmly , and surprisingly gave them back to the king , saying , “ Many thanks for the present that you have brought , dear Friend . It is indeed beautiful , and yet utterly useless to me . It would be better if you could give me a needle … For scissors I do not need , and a needle I do .”
The king was stunned by the gesture and confused by Farid ’ s words , and stuttered a bit before replaying : “ I don ’ t understand , my wise one . If you need a needle , you will surely need the scissors as well .”
Farid smiled gently & replied , “ Scissors I don ’ t need because scissors cut things apart . A needle I need because a needle puts things together . You see , my dear Friend , my entire teaching is based on LOVE — a bringing of Harmony , a making of Peace , an enlivening of real Wisdom … Scissors are useless for such work ; they cut , they disconnect , they separate . It is only the needle we can use to bring real Togetherness . So the next time you visit , an ordinary needle will be more than sufficient .”
The king took humble note of Farid ’ s wisdom , and the next time he visited , a needle he did indeed bring .
For each of us , the Wisdom of this tale is just as poignant … Indeed , anger is a pair of scissors -- separating every victim from her perpetrator ; casting them both into the abyss of cold isolation … It is wise for us to remember that Forgiveness is the needle that repairs this rent ; allowing the warmth of Harmony to glow again .
78