In End the Struggle and Dance With Life, Susan shared a story that illustrates perfectly what we are talking about this month in the newsletter article. Here is an excerpt:
Noah benShea tells us a very relevant story. A little boy goes to a parade with his father. In order for the little boy to see, his father hoists him up on his shoulders. As the parade passes by, the little boy keeps telling his father how spectacular the passing sights are. Unfortunately, he gets so arrogant about his wonderful view that he mocks those who see less. “If only you could see what I can see…” But what the boy doesn’t see was WHY he could see. benShea points out that the boy could have been a giant. “A giant…is anyone who remembers we are all sitting on someone else’s shoulder.”
He reminds us what we are if we don’t remember…A BURDEN! When I read that, it made me cringe. How many times have I not remembered whose shoulder I was sitting on? How many times did I not thank those who had contributed greatly to my life? How many times was I a burden instead of a giant?
The truth is that when we look back on all our achievements, we see that we have done NOTHING on our own. That should humble us a bit! In fact, the more appreciative we become, the more humble we become… which is a good thing. Arrogance is very hard to live with, whether it’s in others or in ourselves! We also feel less impoverished or a victim when we are aware of all the blessings we receive from other people in our world. When we have this awareness, we feel part of a larger whole, a network of caring, a network of people standing on each other’s shoulders. How blessed we are.