By | Adil Malia | www.adilmalia.com
There is an animal called –
‘Ushghur’. Porcupine. If you hit it with a stick, it extends its quills and gets bigger. Our soul is also like a Procupine. It becomes strong by stick- beating.
Like wise a hide. When soaked in tanning liquor, it seasons to become fine leather. If the tanner is not rubbed in the acid, the hide would get foul-smelling and get rotten.
Rumi extends this thought – narrated in a parable called ‘Checkmate’. In life, some of our friends are clever and smarter than us. They will Checkmate you … criticise you and that may upset you. Knowing you rather so well, they are better equipped with knowledge and smartness to Check-mate you.
Rather than feeling upset and let-down on being ‘check-mated’ , wisdom is to see it as a process of maturing that makes you grow, refines your soul, tans your hide , makes you stronger and helps you to be so much better.
Maintain your calm. Listen to it if it makes sense to you , draw your lessons and release the critic to let his toxicity reverse corrode into him.
That is the best way to ‘Check-mate’ him.
Republished with permission and originally published at www.adilmalia.com