Issue nº 76

Believing in the impossible

     William Blake says in one of his texts: “all that today is a reality was once only part of an impossible dream,” and that is why today we have the airplane, space exploration, the computer with which I am writing this column, and so on. In Lewis Carroll’s famous masterpiece “Alice through the Looking Glass,” there is a dialogue between the main character and the Queen, who has just told something quite extraordinary.
     - I can’t believe it – says Alice.
     - Can’t believe it? – the Queen repeats with a sad look on her face. – Try again: take a deep breath, close your eyes, and believe.
     Alice laughs:
     - It’s no good trying. Only fools believe that impossible things can happen.
     - I think what you need is a little training – answers the Queen. – When I was your age I would practice at least half an hour a day, right after breakfast, I tried very hard to imagine five or six unbelievable things that could cross my path, and today I see that most of the things I imagined have turned real, I even became a Queen because of that.
     Life constantly asks us: "believe!” Believing that a miracle can happen at any moment is necessary not only for our happiness but also for our protection, or to justify our existence. In today’s world, many people think it is impossible to put an end to misery, to build a fair society, and to alleviate the religious tension that seems to grow worse every day.
     Most people avoid the struggle for a whole variety of reasons: conformism, maturity, the sense of the ridiculous, the feeling of impotence. We see injustice being done to our neighbor and remain silent. "I’m not getting involved in fights for nothing" is the explanation.
     This is a cowardly attitude. Whoever travels down a spiritual path carries an honor code to be fulfilled; the voice that is raised against what is wrong is always heard by God.
     Even so, now and again we hear the following comment:
     “I always believe in dreams, I often try to combat injustice, but I always end up disappointed.”
     A warrior of light knows that certain impossible battles are worth fighting and so is not afraid of being disappointed, knowing as he does the power of his sword and the force of his love. He vehemently rejects those who are unable to take decisions and are always trying to pass on to others the responsibility for all the bad that happens in the world.
     If he does not fight against what is wrong – even if it seems beyond his strength – he will never find the right way.
     My Iranian publisher, Arash Hejasi, once sent me a text that said:
     “Today a heavy rainstorm caught me by surprise when I was walking down the street ... thank God I had my umbrella and raincoat. Except that they were both in my car, parked quite a distance away. While I was running to get them I thought what a strange sign I was receiving from God – we always have the necessary resources to face the storms that life prepares for us, but most times these resources are locked away in the bottom of our heart and this makes us waste an enormous amount of time trying to find them, so that when we finally find them, we have already been defeated by adversity.”
     So, let us always be prepared; otherwise we will miss our chance, or lose the battle.