How do you tell a cat that...

he cannot attend a workshop without hurting his feelings?

This past weekend I was attending a 2-day workshop on the theme of 'Strengthening Unity'. The concepts discussed were meant to aid us create unity in any situation, anywhere from the home environment, to work, to the larger society, the idea being that worldwide unity would be impossible unless it first existed in these smaller units. We had to think a lot about our own actions. Anyhow, to make a long story short I had told the boys about this and they wanted to attend.

Workshop organizers worried that the cats' small size would jeopardize their well-being, so they were not allowed. Naturally curious boys had to try to get in, as you can see in these pictures.








Ollie would not give up and found a place wherefrom he could observe sneakily and listen!


And he may have overheard that the first step toward this goal of achieving unity is to examine our own perspective and to make sure that we are not introducing biases stemming from perceived behavior.  

"But, O my brother, when a true seeker determines to take the step of search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of acquired knowledge..." (Iqan, p. 192)

'Acquired knowledge' are those things that we think we know, e.g., 'I know this will never work because xxx told me so.', or 'these people are not reliable because they are from here and ...'. This is the knowledge we have acquired through our existing relationships and may not reflect truth.

The next thing Ollie may have heard is:

"...the primary challenge in dealing with issues of peace is to raise the context to the level of principle, as distinct from pure pragmatism. For, in essence, peace stems from an inner state supported by a spiritual or moral attitude, and it is chiefly in evoking this attitude that the possibility of enduring solutions can be found..."
(from Promise of World Peace)

And, finally, this:

"The root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and we must therefore hold fast to the tools of perception and knowledge. Good character must be taught...." 

(Selection from the Writings of Abdul-Baha, p.263)

I don't know how much of this Ollie understood but he told me that he did, and he felt pretty good about it. Gotta love this boy.

Happy Monday to All.

Ciao!