By Henrylito D. Tacio
A solitary figure against the backdrop of the evening sky appeared more like a work of art than a part of reality. His deliberate movements, however, confirmed his existence. The stark landscape resonated with desolation. The cracked earth lay almost bare. Cattle wandered with protruding bones, and an occasional cactus stood alone where shrubs and trees had once thrived together. In the center of this desolation stood a vast house accompanied by a charming garden.
The water bearer was the silhouetted figure, balancing a pole across his shoulders with two pots hanging from it. Each day, he traversed the arid land to a well, collected water, and made his way back to his master’s residence. He was tasked with providing water for the household, but during one of his trips, he discovered that one of the clay pots had developed a crack.
The water bearer, accustomed to conversing with his surroundings, was suddenly interrupted by a loud sigh. “Who did that?” he inquired.
Responding to its cue, the cracked pot emitted another sigh. “What troubles you?” the water bearer asked.
“I apologize,” the cracked pot answered. “What seems to be the issue?” the water bearer inquired once more.
“Oh, I feel so inadequate,” the cracked pot bemoaned. “I continuously leak a significant amount of water. Observe my companion on the opposite side. He consistently delivers a full pot and has every reason to take pride in himself.”
“Do not be concerned,” the water bearer reassured. Yet, the cracked pot could not quell its sense of failure.
A few days later, the water bearer halted and gazed at the cracked pot. “Look down on your side of the path,” he instructed. “Do you notice anything?”
“Indeed,” the cracked pot sighed. “I observe some grass and a handful of flowers.”
“You see,” the water bearer remarked, “I was aware of your leaks, so I took the opportunity to plant seeds along your path. And now, you have made me immensely proud. You have brought life to the barren soil. Just look at the grass, the flowers, and the butterflies. Now, I can even gather some of these lovely flowers for my master’s vase. Observe, you may be a cracked pot, but you have fostered beauty around you.”
Much like the cracked pot, we too possess our imperfections. No one is without flaws. Indeed, God continues to work on us to shape us into who we are meant to be.
Many years ago, a boy was born in Russia whose mother passed away before he turned two, and his father died suddenly in the street when he was eight. Following the death of his grandmother less than a year later, he and his four siblings were separated.
As if these tragedies were not sufficient, the boy perceived himself as so unattractive that he believed happiness would elude him throughout his life. He had a broad nose, thick lips, small gray eyes, and large hands and feet. He was so troubled by his appearance that he implored God to perform a miracle and transform him into a handsome man.
He promised that if God granted this wish, he would dedicate everything he owned, as well as all that he might acquire in the future, to Him.
Are you aware of the identity of that Russian boy? It was none other than Count Leo Tolstoy, recognized as one of the leading authors of the twentieth century and the creator of the epic historical novel War and Peace. He was also the author of Anna Karenina.
In one of his writings, Tolstoy confessed that over the years he realized that the beauty of physical appearance he had previously pursued was not the sole form of beauty in existence. In fact, it was not the most admirable beauty. Rather, he began to view the beauty of a robust character as the highest good in the eyes of God.
“There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion,” wrote Francis Bacon.
John Keats added: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness.”
Obstacles are part of living. If Christopher Columbus had turned back, no one could have blamed him, but definitely no one would have remembered him.
“When you cannot remove an object, plow around it. But keep plowing,” someone once said.
Beauty and poverty do not serve as justifications for a person’s success in life. Even a disability does not hinder the path to fame.
There was a man whose stutter was so pronounced that it profoundly affected his life. It became significantly worse when he felt anxious, and it only subsided in the presence of his closest friends. His childhood was filled with embarrassing experiences, such as the occasion when he stuttered in class, prompting the entire class to erupt in laughter until the teacher struck the desk and labeled him a fool.
Nevertheless, this did not prevent William Somerset Maugham from becoming one of the most cherished novelists in the world. The English writer is noted for such novels as Of Human Bondage and The Razor’s Edge, which were made into movies.
Our purpose in life should be to see one another through, not through one another. Zig Ziglar, in his book, Something to Smile About, shares this story:
In the last century, a rich boy and a poor boy lived in the same neighborhood. The rich boy wore nice clothes, lived in a nice house, and had plenty of good, nutritious food to eat. The poor boy lived in a cheap house, wore ragged clothes, and did not have much of anything to eat.
One day, the two boys got into a scuffle. In the struggle, the rich boy won. The poor boy got up, dusted himself off, and told the rich kid that if he had the proper food to eat as the rich boy did, he would have emerged the winner.
Then, the poor boy tuned and walked away. The rich kid just stood there – speechless. He was numbed by what the poor boy said. His heart was broken because he knew that what the poor boy said was true.
The rich boy never forgot that incident. From that day on, he revolted against any favored treatment because he was rich. He made it a point to wear inexpensive clothing; he intentionally endured the hardships faced by people who were poor. His family was often embarrassed by the way he dressed, but despite family pressure, the young boy never again took advantage of his wealth.
No one remembered now who the poor boy was. But the rich boy who developed such compassion for poor people made them his life’s work. His name is recorded in history. He dedicated his life to service and became a world-class physician, serving in Africa.
His name was Albert Schweitzer, the German polymath who received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life.
This brings to mind the tale of Oseola McCarty, an African American woman who was raised in Mississippi. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to helping others look presentable – accepting heaps of soiled garments and meticulously washing and ironing them.
She left school after the sixth grade to enter the workforce, never married, had no children, and did not learn to drive as there was no specific destination she wished to reach. Her occupation was her existence. It served as her means of being a blessing to those around her. At the time she began her work, many African Americans in rural Mississippi were unemployed.
For the majority of her 87 years, Oseola spent very little money. She resided in her ancestral home. She diligently saved her earnings, primarily in the form of dollar bills and coins, until she accumulated just over US$150,000. Subsequently, she made what the residents of Hattiesburg refer to as “The Gift.” She generously donated her entire savings to African American college students in Mississippi.
“I know it won’t be too many years before I pass on… so I planned to do this. I planned it myself,” she was quoted as saying. She also said, “I wanted to share my wealth with the children.”
“Live simply,” someone once said, “so that others may simply live.”
