STORIES ON THE

THEME OF TESTS
AND DIFFICULTIES

Enjoy

http://achievingcoherence.com/2014/08/11/abdul-b
ahas-advice-to-a-smoker/

ADVICE TO A SMOKER

Howard Colby Ives was a Unitarian Minister in New York. He was also a smoker.
When Abdul-Bah visited New York, Howard was not in the best of health,
having some lung difficulties. He was considering quitting smoking, yet again in
fact, he wrote I had always prided myself on the ability to break the habit at any
time. And yet, it was always a momentary lapse in the habit, nothing
lasting. And that summer, because of life circumstances, he was too nervous to
not smoke. With his pride, though, he also had a shame about the habit. Though
he wanted to, he didnt bring it up to Abdul-Bah the first or so time they had
met. Finally, he got over his guilt and decided to ask Abdul-Bah advice on how
to quit smoking.

When they next met, he very shyly began to tell Abdul-Bah about his
habit. He wrote, it was like a child confessing to His mother, and my voice
trailed away to embarrassed silence after only the fewest of words. Yet AbdulBah was the embodiment of loving-kindness and understanding, and never
perpetuated the embarrassment that Howard felt about his habit. After Howard
was done speaking, Abdul-Bah quietly asked how much he smoked.
Howard told him, and Abdul-Bah, with a gentle smile and a twinkle in His
eyes, responded that He didnt think it was harmful, that the men in Persia
smoke to the point where their beards are filled with smoke, and that he
shouldnt be troubled by it at all.
Howard, at first, was a bit perplexed, and he did not understand. He wrote, not
a dissertation on the evils of habit; not an explanation of the bad effects on
health; not a summoning of my will power to overcome desire. Rather, AbdulBah freed him. Howard then felt the burden of shame lifted from his shoulders,
and he felt a relief. During the next few days, Howard wrote, his inner conflict
was stilled, and he was, at last, able to enjoy his smoke with no smitings of
conscience.

A few days after this conversation, his desire for smoking was gone, and he quit.
*****
From this encounter, Howard concluded the power of love to bring true freedom
freedom from desires of self, from the habits of lower nature, from the fetters
of this world. Through an all-embracing love that Abdul-Bah evinced, He
freed Howard from a focus on self. And through showering each other with
loving-kindness, we can accompany each other to free ourselves from the
bondage of the animal promptings that weigh us down. Our first duty to each
other is to let our hearts burn with loving-kindness; from this we can think about
building upon justice, unity, capacity, etc.
We can draw out two more elements within Howards encounter with AbdulBah. The first, is that through this love, Abdul-Bah did not allow any feelings
of guilt or self-righteousness to enter into the conversation. Howard came to
him with guilt about a habit, and Abdul-Bah said it wasnt a big deal. Howard
came to him with a pride on being able to quit, and Abdul-Bah didnt appeal to
any will to power.

Guilt and self-righteousness are both manifestations of ego, on two extremes,

that our self-focused society often evokes to motivate behavior. However, the
most powerful motivator of human action is an understanding of true self that
comes from selflessness freeing oneself from ego. Often times in health
care, patients come with various forms of ego, like guilt, which society has
attributed to their health concern. Physicians perpetuate this spotlight on the
ego by a focus on the individual. Yet, clearly, an inner conflict through pointing
out evils of habit is futile; the most powerful way to transform self is a focus
away from it, on selflessness.
This leads to the second point a true understanding of human nature. If
someone considers their identity as a smoker, how is a physician going to say
dont smoke. And continue by saying here are all the reasons why you
shouldnt. This is telling them not to be who they think they are. Quite a
dehumanizing experience. And yet, the health care system has gotten into this
habit itself. Abdul-Bah did not attack

Howards sense of identity; instead, He helped Howard consider another

perspective that he is a spiritual, noble, human being, with a soul, and his true
identity is not any category that society assigns, like smoker, black, woman,
liberal, academic, gay, banker, diabetic, depressed, etc. In the end, all
these categories are, at best, secondary aspects of a human being; and, at
worst, distortions of true human identity. To detach from a habit or desire, one
has to understand that this habit or desire is not ones true nature. Ones true
nature is that of the soul.
Once Howards guilt over smoking was lifted, his identity as a smoker was
shown erroneous, and his true identity as a noble spiritual being was affirmed,
he was able to place this minor habit in its proper place as just that,
something that provides momentary enjoyment to the lower self; of
tangential significance. And then, quite naturally, as his higher nature assumed
its rightful place, he no longer felt like smoking.

BE A STRONG SHIP!
Abdul-Baha was sitting at a window, listening quietly to
the outpourings of a distressed young girl. The girl
couldnt understand why her life was so full of trials,
especially when, as she told him, she read the ninety-first
psalm and the twenty-third psalm, every night before she
went to bed.
Abdul-Bah responded: To pray is not to read psalms. To
pray is to trust in God and to be submissive in all things to
Him. . . . Strong ships are not conquered by the sea, they
ride the waves! Now be a strong ship, not a battered one.

FINDING HOPE AND

STRENGTH
The war was going. Men were fighting. Women were carrying food to soldiers day and
night, nursing the injured. In the village only old people and children remained.
One old man took an old plough and started sharpening it, mending it while singing
something. His wife said to him with annoyance:
You have a stone heart! Your sons joined a deadly battle, the village is in mourning.
Your comrades are thinking about the fate of the village, and you, knowing this, are
mending the plough and singing a song! If someone would ask, whom are you trying
for, what would you say? Tomorrow the enemy will come here, they will kill you and us
too, and they will take your plough.
Woman, what are you talking? They will kill us, but not the plough. Im building not
destroying. The world is resting on this plough: if we survive, we will need the plough,
and if we die, maybe the love for labour will awaken in those who will take it. Maybe
even I will be blessed. We dont know, what is what in this world.