LIFE’S LESSONS
By Henrylito D. Tacio
“Knowledge of our duties is the most essential part of the philosophy of life. If you escape duty, you avoid action. The world demands results.” – George W. Goethals
Laron G. Smith is an author who lives in Sydney, Australia. In his social media account, he posted an old native American legend. I have never heard of it before and I think it should be shared with people from all over the world.
After reading the story, I asked myself, “What’s my obligation?”
“Meet your obligations,” wrote Brazilian lyricist Paul Coelho. “But obligations never prevented anyone from following their dreams. Remember that you are a manifestation of the absolute and do only those things in your life that are worth the effort. Only those who do that will understand the great transformations that are yet to be seen.”
In order for you to understand what I am discussing here, allow me to share the story then:
One day there was a big fire in the forest. All the animals fled in terror in all directions because it was a very violent fire. Suddenly, the jaguar saw a hummingbird pass over his head, but in the opposite direction. The hummingbird flew towards the fire!
Whatever happened, he wouldn’t stop. Moments later, the jaguar saw him pass again, this time in the same direction as the jaguar was walking. He could observe this coming and going, until he decided to ask the bird about it, because it seemed very bizarre behavior.
“What are you doing, hummingbird?” he asked.
“I am going to the lake,” the bird answered, “I drink water with my beak and throw it on the fire to extinguish it.”
The jaguar laughed and said, “Are you crazy? Do you really think that you can put out that big fire on your own with your very small beak?”
“No,” replied the hummingbird, “I know I can’t. But the forest is my home. It feeds me, it shelters me and my family. I am very grateful for that. And I help the forest grow by pollinating its flowers. I am part of her and the forest is part of me. I know I can’t put out the fire, but I must do my part.”
At that moment, the forest spirits, who listened to the hummingbird, were moved by the bird and its devotion to the forest, miraculously they sent a torrential downpour, which put an end to the great fire.
The Native American grandmothers would occasionally tell this story to their grandchildren, then conclude with, “Do you want to attract miracles into your life? Do your part.”
“You have no responsibility to save the world or find the solutions to all problems – but to attend to your particular personal corner of the universe. As each person does that, the world saves itself.”
The words that really caught my attention was “I must do my part.” It is the moral obligation of the hummingbird to do something – although he knows he won’t be able to put out the fire.
The dictionary defines obligation as “an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.” It also means “a debt of gratitude for a service or favor.”
Yes, we have a moral obligation – all of us. As Ray Bradbury puts it: “The gift of life is so precious that we should feel an obligation to pay back the universe for the gift of being alive.”
“Small obligations, given habitually, are what preserve the heart and secure comfort,” William Davy reminds.
For instance, it is the obligation of the parents to provide for their children to be safe, to be treated with affection, to be educated, to have medical care, and to be protected against cruelty and abuse. Parents have to protect their children’s rights until they are old enough to make their own way in the world.
Children, on the other hand, are obliged to care for and look after their parents as they took care of them when they were still kids. As adults, children may live separately from their parents. Make sure they always visit their parents when they have free time. Meeting and seeing their grown-up children – who may have their own families – will definitely make every parent happy.
To some, obligation interferes with your freedom. But that should not be the case. Listen to what William Simms said, “To feel oppressed by obligation is only to prove that we are incapable of a proper sentiment of gratitude. To receive favors from the unworthy is to admit that our selfishness is superior to our pride.”
God forgives all our sins. And it is proper that we forgive those who have done misdeeds to us. “For peace of mind, forgiveness is an obligation, not an option,” Vincent Okay Nwachukwu explained. “It is the debt we owe our offenders. It’s just like turning the table and becoming the one owing your debtor. Abiding by this maxim is sublime.”
The synonym for obligation is duty. Two-time Nobel laureate Marie Curie has a definite idea of it. “You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals,” she said. “To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think can be most useful.”
Now, do your own part in this world. – ###
