Dangerously organic!

Something to think about...

I had just finished a trip to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and then Morocco. Came back to NYC, staying on E14th Street at the hostel. It
was a quiet mid-morning on Sunday, I believe. I walked from the hostel to a coffee shop, then to a park.

And, on the way back, I looked up and saw this guy lying there in front of a colorful mural that said "Know Your Rights". I think he was just hung over, passed out after a Saturday night. Probably. There was still enough spirit to his form to convince me he was just lying there, half asleep and probably awake enough to jump up and run like hell if someone poked at him. But, the thing that got to me was that he was just lying there, like a fixture next to an ATM machine, cars passing by with "Give Peace a Chance" bumper stickers. People yakking on cellphones about business gone bad, malignant bosses, things they just weren't going to put up with. Land of plenty. So I snapped this photo and kept walking.

I didn't stop. I must admit, I think the photo before this one is one of the best photos I've ever taken. Look at the man's expression on the left. Check out the guy casually walking the dog, as if nothing was wrong. Like, if that guy was your brother, what would you do if you saw him lying there, on the sidewalk, passed out? Maybe he got mugged and he was just lying there, aching. Maybe he took an overdose and couldn't do anything but collapse on the sidewalk. Maybe he was trying to cross the street and got hit by a hit and run car. He staggered to the sidewalk and collapsed. Who knows.

I walked a little further and saw some more graffiti. Then, I came to a beautiful flower stand, just a few steps from the fallen man.

The flower stand seemed to explode in color and scent. There it was: sorrow juxtaposed with happiness. Life all around me.

I walked a few more steps and saw this bike. I thought "{BotD}:::Bike of the Day". I didn't forget about the man on the sidewalk a few steps back. But, I got out my camera and snapped a shot. I thought about how this bike was probably 50 years old. Someone brought it over from England, perhaps. It's not a trendy style bike. It's purely functional. At least, to most people. To the bike lover, however, it's special. See the rake of the forks? It's stable. They're chrome forks. Nice. Two locks secure it to a bikepost. It's a single speed. Some kind of deep-V rim in back. Rear fender, half front fender. Nice rack. Looks like someone's been riding on it. Modern seat. Hmmm. Interesting.

There's the headbadge. It was perfectly legible when I saw it. My mind flashed back to the man on the sidewalk. I looked again and read the headbadge. I made a mental note that I wasn't going to remember the name. I don't. Can't read it now. Can you?

The first step towards forgiveness is to forget.

Bowl of Saki, September 12, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

In order to learn forgiveness man must learn tolerance first. And there are people whom man cannot forgive. It is not that he must not forgive,
but it is difficult, beyond his power to forgive, and in that case the
first thing he can do is to forget. The first step towards forgiveness
is to forget.

from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_14.htm

They say, 'Forgive and forget', which is very expressive of the process
of forgiveness. It is impossible to forgive unless you can forget. What
keeps man from forgiving his fellow man is that he holds the fault of
another constantly before his view. It is just like sticking a little
thorn in one's own heart and keeping it there and suffering the pain.
It may also be pictured as putting a drop of poison in one's own heart
and retaining it until the whole heart becomes poisoned. Verily,
blessed are the innocent, who do not notice anybody's fault, and the
greater credit is to the mature souls, who, recognizing a fault, forget
it and so forgive. How true are the words of Christ, 'Let those throw a
stone who have not sinned.' The limitations of human life make man
subject to faults. Some have more faults, some have less, but there is
no soul without faults. As Christ says, 'Call me not good.'

Forgiveness is a stream of love, which washes away all impurities
wherever it flows. By keeping this spring of love, which is in the
heart of man, running, man is able to forgive, however great the fault
of his fellow man may seem. One who cannot forgive closes his heart.
The sign of spirituality is that there is nothing you cannot forgive,
there is no fault you cannot forget. Do not think that he who has
committed a fault yesterday must do the same today, for life is
constantly teaching and it is possible in one moment a sinner may turn
into a saint.

from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII_20.htm

~~~ The first step towards forgiveness is to forget.