Today – I was introduced to Kahlil Gibran by a friend at work.  I was amazed that I have never heard of him before.  She read a passage from his book “Prophet” and I was completly mesmerized by the beauty of his words.

I told Suzanne (the friend who introduced me to Kahlil Gibran) that I believed it was no coincidence that she shared his work with me at that precise moment, just as she was introduced to him so many years prior.  These moments happen for a reason – they enter our lives because we are ready to receive whatever messages the universe is trying to give to us.  For me – it is to share his profound and positive words with all of you.  I look forward to reading the rest of his book(s) and I hope that his words move you as much as they have moved me.  Here is a passage from the book “Prophet”:

And one of the elders of the city said, “Speak to us of Good and Evil.”

And he answered:

Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil.

For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?

Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts, it drinks even of dead waters.

You are good when you are one with yourself.

Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil.

For a divided house is not a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.

And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom.

You are good when you strive to give of yourself.

Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself.

For when you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.

Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, “Be like me, ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance.”

For to the fruit giving is a need, as receiving is a need to the root.

You are good when you are fully awake in your speech,

Yet you are not evil when you sleep while your tongue staggers without purpose.

And even stumbling speech may strengthen a weak tongue.

You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.

Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping.

Even those who limp go not backward.

But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness.

You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good,

You are only loitering and sluggard.

Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.

In your longing for your giant self lies your goodness: and that longing is in all of you.

But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forest.

And in others it is a flat stream that loses itself in angles and bends and lingers before it reaches the shore.

But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little, “Wherefore are you slow and halting?”

For the truly good ask not the naked, “Where is your garment?” nor the houseless, “What has befallen your house?” 

Kahlil Gibran’s words are inspirational and are examples of what we, as a positive global consciousness, can help create in our world today!

Thank you Suzanne for introducing me to such a wonderful poet/author.  Your own personal life reflections and experiences inspire me and am a grateful that you have allowed me to experience your past memories through your recollections.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!