The Rose, Self-Discipline and the Divine Promise of Youth

9. Discipline of Roses (with Shamsul)

Though Love is the bloom

Of the rose,

Mercy its perfume,

The Sun its nourisher,

The Rain its sustainer,

It is self-discipline

That first raises the rose

Above the crowd

Of lesser flowers.

SELF-DISCIPLINE. If you persist in following this sinner's rambling, I can only assure you that the journey will have its ups and downs, its peaks and valleys. But surely you must come to a point when you are tired of walking two steps forwards, then taking three steps back. To move forward, I must alas, release you from this prose-ridden journal to seek discipline from someone more able, and certainly more inclined towards self-discipline and control.

This is no ordinary man. The
Kaiso and Osensei of Aikido.

A GUIDE. Who? Oh, I don't know. Perhaps yourself? Your dad? Your parson? Or maybe an Aikido sensei? A Jedi Master perhaps? But somewhere in the Universe there is a guide for you. Someone of spiritual and physical mettle to take your ego on, and help you develop and sustain that self-discipline. Because from self-discipline comes self-belief. And once you have acquired that, why... it is only a saint's prayer away from belief in God. Which is the long-yearned homecoming for us all.

YOUTHFUL FUTURE. I spent today with Heche and her young friends. Like many young people, they are boisterous, confident and beautiful. I sometimes worry about the future, but at other times, I glance into their eyes and I suspect that there is a glittering secret, a treasure of potential inside their soul, waiting to awaken. To bloom and ripen like a rose. I believe it is only a matter of time that God's Plan unfolds in its perfect symmetry, like unto the Prophet himself. And even if we cannot see the symmetry, we can still sense it, yes?

Have faith in God, sunshine, and despair not. For surely He has faith in you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

PS: Oh, before I forget... Happy Deepavali, mon ami!