SLOWLY, SLOWLY

A Japanese Zen Master once said to a snail: "Certainly, climb Mt. Fuji, but slowly, slowly." Sometimes, when we have an enormous undertaking at hand, we are so anxious to reach the end. We are like those who begin a mystery book by reading the last page first so that they will know "who did it" before they find out what was done. Sometimes we want answers to questions we've barely formulated. Or we want to succeed in some venture without going through the process which will warrant us success. When we are trying to get somewhere, particularly somewhere we've never been before, it is helpful to slow down, to ask directions, get advice and proceed in an easy and unhurried way. Stephen Crane once wrote a poem about a man who was chasing after the horizon. A bystander tried to stop the man, "It is no use... you can never.... " "You lie," cried the man as he kept rushing after the horizon. We can let ourselves slow down right now and let ourselves be clear about where we are going, and we will arrive on time and at peace with ourselves.