I once read a story about a wanderer who, in one of his exploits, visited a tribal group up in the mountains. The tribal group, being the affable kind, opened its doors to their guest – fed him, sheltered him, and embraced him as their own. Little by little, the traveller learned about the means and ways of his transient family. Every day imbued in him a lesson about sincerity, simplicity, freedom, and the ephemerality of human life. One day, he was invited by a few youngsters to go canoeing with them down the river. Our subject obliged and was soon merrily paddling down the rapids with the youngsters. It was an enjoyable ride. The traveller was thrilled by the voyage and found pleasure in seeing the wonderful views. During the trip, however, he noticed that the youngsters would put their canoes to a complete halt every now and then, and would put much effort to keep it still for a few moments. Then they’d resume the adventurous trip downstream only to rest again a little distance further on. The routine went on for a few cycles – paddle downstream, stop, paddle on, stop, and so on. A little puzzled, the traveller finally took the attention of the youngsters during one of the breaks and inquired about the ritual. The response was this: As our bodies zoom down the river at such speeds, there is a tendency for our souls to get left behind. We have to stop every now and then in order for our souls to catch up. --- This holds true for life as well. As we zoom through our lives, our careers, our responsibilities, there is a tendency for our souls to get left behind. Every self-respecting human being must, every now and then, put his journey on hold in order for his soul to catch up. That’s what weekends were made for. And thus I declare: Give me my weekend or give me death!  | |||||
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