The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: Teachings and Paintings (1 of 3)

This is part 1 of 3 posts I will make regarding The Prophet. When I was reading the book, some lines caught my attention and thus I wrote them in italics. I have been debating in my head whether I should comment on the teachings or just write them. I chose to do both, or whatever I feel like writing on the topic. Some are my opinions on the matter but most of what I'm writing are my interpretations of the teachings. The following are only about the first few teachings. I think as much as I need time to reflect and write, the lost reader also needs time to understand the philosophy.

On Leaving

Almustafa was glad that the boat of his men found his whereabouts but along with that happiness is a sadness, of leaving a place he has lived in for a long time. Although he suffered pain and suffering in an unfamiliar land, it already became a part of him. Despite feeling attached, he knows that it is time for him to leave and live.

who can depart from his pain and his aloneness without regret?

A voice cannot carry the tongue and the lips that gave its wings. Alone must it seek the ether.

And alone and without his nest shall the eagle fly across the sun.

As he descended into the city, the people saw his ship and realized his imminent farewell. They left their work and gathered around him wanting him to stay. It was evident in their words that Almustafa and the people of the land cherished each other but did not openly show nor say it. He wanted to leave but they would like for him to stay. Almitra, the seeress who was the first to trust him, asked that he impart his wisdom before he leaves.

On Love

love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation

He says that one should yield in to love and its many difficulties. Love is not just pleasure and bliss. It involves hard work and vulnerability of self. It will hurt you and make you doubt. It will shake you in your core. And only in allowing love to strip you will you come to know of it. Only then will the happiness be true and complete.

And think not you can direct the course of love, 

for love, if it finds you worthy,

directs your course.

The love discussed was not just eros but all three: platonic love, romantic love, and agape. It wasn't just the shallow infatuation we feel nor the bodily desires that make us attracted to a person. It was love as love. Going with the flow and understanding more as we get hurt and grow. Thinking not only for one's self but for the other too. Grateful for yesterday's love, thankful for the love today, hopeful for what love will bring tomorrow.

Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.

On Marriage

Gibran, as well as most of the people, believe that marriage is a relationship until death. However, he does not treat marriage as a contract or a bond between two people. Similar to all his other teachings, marriage involves going with the flow of life. It is two people who share in each other's life but lives their own. Marriage does not have to mean that two people have to be beside each other at all times, have the same goals in life, or depend on each other completely. They are different people who choose to face life together.

let there be spaces in your togetherness 

On Children

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

On this topic, the writer again shows his view on how people's lives are their own. He says that children are brought into this world by the parents but they are not owned by the mother and father. He gives advice that parents help hone the children but not to impose on them because they have their own thinking. Moreover, he writes that the future of the children are in the tomorrow which the parents cannot even dream of visiting. Towards the end, he likens the children to an arrow and the parents to the bow. The bow gives direction and stability for the arrow to reach its goal, but lets go to set the arrow on its own path.

On Giving

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

Almustafa starts off this chapter claiming that giving possessions is only a small part of the act. It is giving of the self that constitutes the most part of giving. For him, keeping too much of one's possessions for tomorrow is only out of fear of needing them, not so much the importance of the thing itself. He then goes on to writing about the different kinds of people based on why they give and how much they do. 

The rich who give little of their possessions only for recognition which makes it unwholesome and as opposed to that the poor who give so much of what they have. The people who give with joy and gets joy; and the ones who give with pain and are baptised. Lastly, there are individuals who do not seek joy, who do not think when giving, and who do not feel the pain of losing in order to give. These people, he says, are the best of them. 

All you have shall someday be given;

Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors

Another advice he makes is of giving without being asked, of actively searching for people to give to. The author is against the popular way of thinking that only the deserving should receive. He supports this by citing that nature gives in order to live and to help others live. Holding back only makes them wither. More importantly, he makes a good point in questioning why the giver should be higher than the receiver when both are part of Life. Why is there a need to assess a person's worth, to rid him of his pride, to strip him of his self-confidence? Gibran asks the giver to first assess if he is deserving to be a giver of life. He also asks the receiver not to feel the weight of gratitude because in doing so, he is doubting the generosity of the giver. 

On Eating & Drinking

since you must kill to eat, 

and rob the newly born of its mother's milk

to quench your thirst,

let it then be an act of worship,

As much as we hate how zombies, vampires, sharks, venus flytraps, and viruses kill in order to sustain their lives, we also do the same. Some people falsely claim that since we are 'higher beings' we are entitled to end the lives of those with less brain activity. I agree with the four lines above in saying that since we kill life in order to live, we should put importance while on the dinner table. Preparing more than enough and having leftovers is bad enough when you think of others who have less and are starving. What's worse is being picky and letting one's mood affect the appetite. Wasting food because of bad cooking skills are also a disappointment, but one that can be avoided. Today there are more and more people showing an interest on food as evidenced by the many blogs about it. Hopefully, it's not just the plating they put importance too.

On Work

For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, 

and to step out of life's procession that marches

in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

Work is this context should not only be seen as labor with pain but growth, progress, development. The writer believes in a person's purpose being set when one is born. And in working does one fulfill it. In participating in work, an individual contributes to life. He then goes on to point out that work must not be done merely as routine or obligation. It must be done with love. It should be done by immersing oneself in it, putting your self in your work, doing what you love, and doing work wholeheartedly. Only by working with love will the product be good. Forced labor brings forth substandard products and even rejects. The author advises those who do not work with love to not work at all. They will only ruin other people's work. For him, it will be better for them to take alms, alms from the people who work with joy and give.

Work is love made visible.

On Joy and Sorrow

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

Joy and sorrow come together. They are on scales weighing each other out. Since they are opposites they must be. For as long as one feels, he takes joy or sorrow from every thing. I take joy in reading and sorrow in the lack of knowledge. One may feel sorrow in sickness and joy in health even thought at times we take being healthy for granted and do not show feelings of joy.   

you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow

that is giving you joy

Gibran further mentions that balance only comes when one is empty of both joy and sorrow. When others claim that there are circumstances when we feel indifferent, then this must be emptiness. A lack of attachment towards the situation. However, I cannot cite an example since I still cannot claim that I already felt this indifference. There is always joy or sorrow for me no matter how unattached I am to the object of observation. 

***

Every time I read the parts I have to write on, I go back to reflecting. I end up taking a longer time digesting Gibran's words and putting it against the way I live that I need to take breaks in writing. For every one line I write on this post, I have gone back how many months in my life. What I wrote did not capture the whole picture of my reflections and musings but I hope that the lost reader can find something useful in the lines.