Well-fed Soul

"'If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.'

Attributed to the Gulistan of Moslih Eddin Saadi, a [Muslim] sheik and Persian poet who lived about 1184-1291." (Hazel Felleman, The Best Loved Poems of the American People)

I went a little crazy one week and painted something on almost every wall of my room: a tree behind my bed, a rendition of Starry Night around my "fireplace," and this poem between one bookcase and behind my door. Ele could tell you several choice things about it's... lack of certain appeal, and I'll admit I wasn't so sure I liked what it had to say: if you're not rich in material wealth, at least there's still some pleasure to be had in beautiful things. Is it recommending that we be content with wild flowers and the freedom to be found in "nature" (a loaded word and concept)? Yes... but, no, not really. There are people in this world (a very large number in fact - i.e. almost all of the Southern Hemisphere) whose daily lives are lived in such a way I'm not sure many people realize. Forget the fact that they don't have running water or that they have limited or no access to electricity. For those living in abject poverty, infant mortality rates can be legitimately read as institutionalized violence. They have almost no conceivable hope of being able to make ends meet, living on less that US$1 each and every day, and it's not for lack of working hard, toiling, and struggling (where do you think we get all that coffee, those bananas, cocoa, clothes, etc.?). Millions still live in slavery, which, contrary to popular belief, is NOT over. So, how can it be legitimately advised that people struggling to survive on less than they need simply take comfort in whatever beauty they can find? Is that what this poem is saying? After some reflection, I've decided that I don't think that's it. Instead, without detracting from the importance of the basic human right to survival and sustenance, it's important not to put all your emphasis on material well-being. If you're lacking all that you want, but still have what you need, take comfort in the art, pleasure the beauty that is. Still, even this doesn't come free. There are sacrifices that must be made: to stop, to savor, to struggle. It is through such efforts that our very souls are fed. Furthermore, this is available to everyone who works for it. Look at Gandhi, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., Liberation Theology, and the list goes on. Individuals, groups, and movements whose works were and are motivated by something greater than their immediate, material needs. Their actions speak to an imbalance in greater, less tangible, things. These are the flowers we must work to cultivate. They require nurturance through compromise and sacrifice, but these are what feed our souls and make our daily bread worth while.