Sunday 11 July 2010

Embracing the Enemy.

I had a house fly take up residence in my office last summer. It would often buzz around me and land on my hand, or ear, or nose, or somewhere else that tickled and caused me some irritation. Now, as I’ve explained before, I have the greatest aversion to hurting or killing anything, so I needed a different solution. I came up with one. It was radical.

I decided I would work on my perception. I would convince myself that this harmless little house fly was a fellow traveller on the road of life, and that I should be gratified by its desire to make contact with me. Believe it or not, it worked. Its little house fly feet no longer tickled. And then it left me alone anyway. I did the same thing in the garden yesterday with another fly. That one left me alone too.

Somehow, I can’t yet bring myself to work the same magic on the ‘oo-oo’ woman. ‘Ah, madam, your voice is music to my ears. Thank you for the gift of melody, dear lady.’ Er... House flies are one thing. Humans should know better.

4 comments:

Nuutj said...

I believe You have been in 'giving universal love to others' state. It is one of things Buddhists here have been taught to do. (Buddhists should be in this state when they pray 'Chant of Universal Love' too.) Monks here sometimes go to deep forest to practice and meditate, they send out their warmth from their hearts to let beasts and insects know that they mean no harm to them. :)

I wish I can do the same.

JJ said...

Oh, Mei-shan. That sounds good. Thank you.

Jfromtheblock said...

maybe you could befriend all the little animals and live like Snow White

JJ said...

Snow White!!! I used to play rugby, don't you know - in the front row! And anyway, what would I do with all the dwarves? Now, if we could only tweak the story a bit and make them lady leprachauns. Even better - wood nymphs. I'm dreaming.

I'm currently trying to exercise extreme tolerance with a mole that's started making one hell of a mess of my lawn. Bless the little chap. So far, I've asked him very politely to go and dig somewhere else. Please.