DAY 191 - ARE YOU AN OAK OR A REED?

Day 191

My father always quoted Jean de La Fontaine’s fable The Oak and The Reed to teach us how important it was to be flexible in life.  In that fable, the oak is personified as having a stubborn sense of strength, standing tall, never bending, while the humble reed is represented as possessing the qualities of endurance, flexibility, and hidden strength.

De La Fontaine teaches the reader his lesson through the use of nature by having the oak and the reed converse about their strengths. In the end the reed proves his point when the north wind uproots the oak, leaving it to die.  The reed survives thanks to its flexibility.

Having goals in life is of utmost importance.  And perseverance and determination are essential qualities when it comes to reaching your goals.  However, being able to change your direction and having  flexibility when you are confronted with a dead end can make the difference between being successful or not. 

We tend to imagine that success is about reaching the goals we initially set for ourselves. However, life is unpredictable and if we don’t learn to change our plans when the path we have chosen is making us miserable, than we are doomed to fail.  No one can endure pain for that long (unless you enjoy pain in a masochistic way, of course.)

That doesn’t mean giving up as soon as an obstacle arises.  It simply means accepting the fact that you might have taken the wrong road and rectifying the situation.  Going back a few steps doesn’t mean giving up. 

A friend of mine is working on his Master’s degree with a supervisor that is absolutely not suitable for him.  He has been trying to make it work out… At this point, I believe he simply needs to change supervisor.  It might bring him a few steps back, but the ride will definitely be smoother after he does.  And in the end, he will probably reach his goal more quickly than he would with the supervisor he now has!  Trying to make things work at all costs is not always the solution.  It can end up depleting you of your energy!  And, when you think about it, nothing is really ever set in stone!!!!

The challenge is probably to find a balance between perseverance and flexibility…  And although being flexible may sometimes feel like a sign of weakness, it is, as Jean De La Fontaine’s fable tells us, the sign of true strength!!!!

“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it”

 Lao Tzu