by John Harricharan
It was many years ago. The boy was not more than
ten years old as he stood beside the man that early
morning. They were both standing on the shore of
the Atlantic looking east toward the rising sun. The
chill morning air caused a slight shiver to run through
the boy. The man, seeming to know, without even
looking, took off his jacket and draped it over the
small shoulders of his son.
They walked up to the water's edge as the man spoke:
"You see that wide expanse of water?
It is made of billions of gallons, and each gallon
is made of tens of thousands of drops."
The little boy seemed curious.
"And what are the drops made of?" he asked.
With a smile, the man replied: "The drops are made
of smaller and smaller drops, and each in turn is
made of bits and pieces of things
that make the very world we live in."
"What am I made of, Dad?"
the boy asked after a short while.
"Am I made of the same stuff as the ocean?"
The father smiled as he replied: "Everything is made
of everything else, and everything is a part of other
things. As you stand here this morning, you are a
part of this land, this shore, this ocean. Look at that
tree, the sky. They are parts of the very me and the
eternal I. There is a force that keeps us together.
Some call that force God, others, Allah, Jehovah, or
Love. There are a thousand names for this force, but
it doesn't matter what it's called. It just is. As you
grow older and wiser, you will find the stirring of this
mighty force within you.
You will know that it's always there,
and that you're safe and happy within it."
The boy, with a puzzled expression, looked at his
father and asked: "How can this force,
this God, be within me and at the same time
be in everything else I see?"
"Because," the man replied, "God is everything and
everyone. God is in you and in me, in those gulls
you see over there, in the sand under our feet and
the lilies of the field. God is everywhere and
everything, and there cannot be two of everything.
God is a part of you just like the
drop of water is a part of this ocean.
Remember this well and you will grow up to have
a sense of peace, joy and understanding..."
Decades have passed since I stood on that shore with
my father. I have since traveled to many countries,
lived in various cultures, and experienced deep sorrow
and great joy. I have seen the best and the worst of
my fellow human beings, Yet, through it all, I could
hear the voice of my father telling me:
"God is everywhere and everything,
and there cannot be two everything."
As a young boy, I grew up in a small village of Hindus,
Christians and Moslems. I learned at a very early age
that all people are shipmates on the common voyage
of life and that one cannot sink one's shipmates
without sinking oneself. As I studied the Vedic
writings and compared them with the words of the
Hebrew prophets and the teachings of the New
Testament Apostles, I found that the common thread
that ran through everything was love.
The greatest commandment ever given was
"Love your God and love one another" -
all others are simply variations on that theme.
Namasté
Joe
It was many years ago. The boy was not more than
ten years old as he stood beside the man that early
morning. They were both standing on the shore of
the Atlantic looking east toward the rising sun. The
chill morning air caused a slight shiver to run through
the boy. The man, seeming to know, without even
looking, took off his jacket and draped it over the
small shoulders of his son.
They walked up to the water's edge as the man spoke:
"You see that wide expanse of water?
It is made of billions of gallons, and each gallon
is made of tens of thousands of drops."
The little boy seemed curious.
"And what are the drops made of?" he asked.
With a smile, the man replied: "The drops are made
of smaller and smaller drops, and each in turn is
made of bits and pieces of things
that make the very world we live in."
"What am I made of, Dad?"
the boy asked after a short while.
"Am I made of the same stuff as the ocean?"
The father smiled as he replied: "Everything is made
of everything else, and everything is a part of other
things. As you stand here this morning, you are a
part of this land, this shore, this ocean. Look at that
tree, the sky. They are parts of the very me and the
eternal I. There is a force that keeps us together.
Some call that force God, others, Allah, Jehovah, or
Love. There are a thousand names for this force, but
it doesn't matter what it's called. It just is. As you
grow older and wiser, you will find the stirring of this
mighty force within you.
You will know that it's always there,
and that you're safe and happy within it."
The boy, with a puzzled expression, looked at his
father and asked: "How can this force,
this God, be within me and at the same time
be in everything else I see?"
"Because," the man replied, "God is everything and
everyone. God is in you and in me, in those gulls
you see over there, in the sand under our feet and
the lilies of the field. God is everywhere and
everything, and there cannot be two of everything.
God is a part of you just like the
drop of water is a part of this ocean.
Remember this well and you will grow up to have
a sense of peace, joy and understanding.
Decades have passed since I stood on that shore with
my father. I have since traveled to many countries,
lived in various cultures, and experienced deep sorrow
and great joy. I have seen the best and the worst of
my fellow human beings, Yet, through it all, I could
hear the voice of my father telling me:
"God is everywhere and everything,
and there cannot be two everything."
As a young boy, I grew up in a small village of Hindus,
Christians and Moslems. I learned at a very early age
that all people are shipmates on the common voyage
of life and that one cannot sink one's shipmates
without sinking oneself. As I studied the Vedic
writings and compared them with the words of the
Hebrew prophets and the teachings of the New
Testament Apostles, I found that the common thread
that ran through everything was love.
The greatest commandment ever given was
"Love your God and love one another" -
all others are simply variations on that theme.
Namasté
Joe
