To be a Cactus

"The Almighty conceived the cactus plant.  If God would choose a plant to represent him, I think he would choose of all plants the cactus.  The cactus has all the blessings he tried, but mostly failed, to give to man.  Let me tell you how.  It has humility but it is not submissive.  It grows where no other plant will grow.  It does not complain when the sun bakes its back, or the wind tears it from the cliff or drowns in in the dry sand of the desert or when it is thirsty.  When the rains come it stores water for the hard times to come.  In good times and in bad it will still flower.  It protects itself against danger, but it harms no other plant.  It adapts itself perfectly to almost any environment.  It has patience and enjoys solitude...[it is the plant of patience and solitude, love and madness, ugliness and beauty, toughness and gentleness.]"

Other than making me want to start a cactus garden, this quote from the character of Doc in Bryce Courtney's "The Power of One," gives one hell of a blue-print to pattern a life after.  Respecting everyone while fearing no one is the only way to meet people on equal and amicable terms.  In any situation where one or the other party is intimidated by the other, the response cannot be genuine.  If I fear you, I will tailor my response to engender a favorable impression.  Only by respecting you and seeing you as an equal can my response be perfectly honest.  Whether you "like" me or not is of no concern.  Certainly I want to be liked, but if I present my authentic self and you do the same, we do not need to be overly concerned about our effect on each other.

Likewise, complaining serves nothing.  The great man is the same under difficult circumstances as he is in times of prosperity.  A certain degree of stoicism could benefit us all.  Preparing for bad times during good times is always a good practice.  My needs should stay close to the same, even if I get a raise at work.  If I am living paycheck to paycheck at $30,000 a year, I certainly should not be when my income rises to $50,000. 

Enjoying solitude is important, as this is when we sharpen ourselves.  I become more self-aware both in public and in private, but in privacy I can consider and weigh my responses, and hopefully learn from them. 

I will enjoy the good, and I will survive the bad without complaint.

Book Review - "Shantaram," by Gregory David Roberts

    My taste in books is usually pretty different from what most people like.  I tend to enjoy the ridiculous, and the dark humor, and the simple.  But I also love the occasional epic adventure where the author actually has the skill to pull it off.  I have found this to be pretty rare.  Huge novels that span generations and continents are just massive in breadth, and I feel like that usually, even good authors get lost in their stories at times.  Two notable exceptions are "Pillars of the Earth," by Ken Follett, and "The Power of One," by Bryce Courtney, although Courtney seemed to lose his way in the sequels. 

    In any case, despite pressure to read "Shantaram" by a person who's taste in books I trust, I put it off for a long while.  I finally picked up the giant 900 page tome around New Years, and just finished it last night in a marathon session culminating in a 2am sprint. 

    It. Is. Amazing.  And it's based on the author's true story.  Gregory David Roberts was a convicted felon, who escaped from a maximum security prison and flew to the urban jungle of Bombay, India (now Mumbai).  With a little luck and a little faith, he finds himself a citizen of one of the huge Marathi slums of the city.  With his previous medical training, he is able to open up a free clinic for the poorest of the city's inhabitants.  He also becomes involved with the Bombay Mafia, and his adventures stretch from India to Pakistan to the battlefields of Afghanistan.  Despite his activities as a criminal, Roberts is a very real person that you can sympathize with, and even like.  This is one of the best stories that I have ever read about redemption, love, adventure, passion and forgiveness.  It's one of the best books that I have ever read, period.