  Spiritual
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It is a glorious privilege to live, to know, to act, to listen,
to behold, to love. To look up at the blue summer sky;
to see the sun sink slowly beyond the line of the horizon;
to watch the worlds come twinkling into view, first one
by one, and the myriads that no man can count, and lo!
the universe is white with them; and you and I are here.
~~ Marco Morrow
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I think the true gardener is a lover of his flowers, not a critic of them. I think the true gardener is the reverent servant of Nature, not her truculent, wife-beating master. I think the true gardener, the older he grows, should more and more develop a humble, grateful and uncertain spirit.
~~ Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden
In his book The Lakota Way, Native American author Joseph M. Marshall III discusses twelve core qualities crucial to the Lakota Native American people’s way of living. One of these values, the first one he presents, is humility.
As an example of humility, he chose famed Lakota leader, Crazy Horse, who led the Lakota during the late 1800’s and is noted for his victory at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. As a true statement of their loyalty, Crazy Horse’s people followed him into an uncertain future when—for the welfare of his noncombatants—he finally surrendered to the United States. He was the last Lakota leader to do so.
Without a doubt people followed Crazy Horse because of his courage as a fighting man and his ability as a military and civilian leader. We Lakota will always remember him for those very reasons. As a Sicangu/Oglala Lakota, I will likewise never forget that he was a humble man. For me, his humility outshines his fame.
Humility was a virtue that the Lakota of old expected their leaders to possess. A quiet, humble person, we believed, was aware of other people and other things. An arrogant, boastful man was only aware of himself… A humble person rarely stumbles, the old ones say, because such a person walks with his face toward the Earth and sees the path ahead. On the other hand, the arrogant man who walks with his head high to bask in the glory of the moment will stumble often because he is more concerned with the moment than what lays ahead.
The burden of humility is light because a truly humble person diverts himself or herself of the need for recognition. The burden of arrogance, on the other hand, grows heavier day by day. In sharing the journey of life, travel with the humble person on the quiet path.
~~The Lakota Way, Joseph M. Marshall III, (pp.11-12, 19)
There is much wisdom in the words of Mr. Marshall. As writers, the need for recognition, if we are not careful, can consume us. When I first came to Writing.com, I was not only a newbie here, but a relative newcomer as a writer and poet. I wanted so much to be recognized, to be noticed. There is nothing wrong with a desire to be noticed and to be acknowledged as a good writer, but when it consumes us, as it did me, it becomes dangerous to us. It becomes all about me and how good I am; the importance of others slowly fades into the background. I was on this path, the noisy path, gaining award after award, as my head began to swell. Then, for circumstances in my personal life, I had to leave this site for a year.
When I returned, it was with a different perspective. Oh, I still wanted to improve and to be known as a good writer (and do yet), but I was no longer consumed. I began to use the skills I had learned to help others. My head was no longer in the clouds, “basking in the glory of the moment.” The stress of being recognized was gone and the path became quieter and the journey more rewarding. I did not come upon this path easily: it was a learned path, much as I believe it was for Crazy Horse and for other humble people. I am drawn, it seems, to humble people, for they do seem to have a quiet spirit, walking with their “face toward the Earth” and seeing “the path ahead.”
True humility does not lead to exhaustion but frees us to serve others. In God’s kingdom, achievement is not the goal, but we will never grasp that until we’ve learned humility. Then we can relax and serve, knowing that any honor that comes to us is given, not earned.
~~C.Gene Wilkes, Jesus on Leadership, Discovering the secrets of servant leadership (p. 23)
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For your reading pleasure, from around Writing.com:
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As a member of the editing team for the Spiritual Newsletter, I want to thank you for reading the newsletter and for your much appreciated feedback.
I Love WDC! Cissy❤
I am so honored that ou would feature my poem in your " Spiritual News Letter ". I don't know quiet what to say to this. I wrote from my heart and was just trying to relay to everyone that... in Gods eyes,
we are all related as brothers and sisters. After all it ALL had to start with Adam and Eve. God only split up the people into different races when Adam and Eve sinned and divided the language as well.
Thank you Larry for the honor, and for the honor of my Nationality. You are a real Angel!
Your Freind
Cissy
Thank you Cissy for your kind words and for writing your poem in both your Native Language and English.
windac
This issue hit rather close to home for me, as I've been employed by one of Wisconsin's Native American tribes for the past 11 years. These years have proven to be quite an eduction!
My first awakening came just months into my employment when it dawned that I wasn't just working for a faceless corporation - I was working for an entire people.
Since then, I have seen attitudes between Natives and non change ever so slightly. It helps that this tribe is the largest employer in the county and that whites depend on them so. Just a tad ironic, no?
It will be many generations before the mistrust and hatred of the white man completely dissipates - if ever. Knowing what I know now, I can certainly understand their point of view. And still, I hope.
No doubt Winda, there is much work to be done, for much mistrust has developed in the last 150 years, but even before that. And I agree, I too understand their point of view.
Zeke
This was a very informative newsletter about the treatment of native Americans. Your point about it being someday only a bump in the road is probably true for the oppressors, but my guess is that it will always be remembered by the oppressed.
I agree it will take much work Zeke, but I am encouraged because the statement about a bump in the road was made by Mr. Marshall, a Native American author who wrote the book "The Lakota Way," which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the values of the Native American Lakota people. His statements have encouraged me in my own values.
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Spiritual: September 10, 2008 Issue [#2597]
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