This is one of my favorite true stories from the Arabian history: Hajjaj bin Yousuf (notorious governor of Iraq in Umayyad time), was on a hunting trip one day, accompanied by his entourage and military.
When it was time for lunch, he asked his people to find someone to join him, an old generosity custom. Since they were far from the city, they had trouble finding anyone, and finally found a Bedouin alone in the desert, so they told him to go them to the governor’s tent.
Hajjaj welcomed him and asked him to join him, but the man refused, saying he was fasting (voluntary, not Ramadan). “How can you fast in such a hot day?” he asked, to which the Bedouin responded, “I want to win God’s favor.”
Hajjaj suggested, “Eat today and fast tomorrow,” and the Bedouin still refused. In one final attempt to convince him, the governor told him, “The food is really good!,” and the Bedouin looked at the tempting banquet, with the hot bread and delicious dishes, and said, “Neither your baker nor your cook made this food good; health did.”
I read that story when I was a kid and it has stuck with me for years. I love reading such old stories because they contain lots of wisdom, sometimes from unlikely sources. In this instance, this lone Bedouin opened my eyes to a fact that was lost on me and lost on many people: Health is the invisible element that makes a person enjoy his life. Without it, even the most delicious foods, the most gorgeous sceneries and the most gratifying experiences may mean nothing at all.
There’s a famous saying, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This means that if you use a chain made from the strongest carbon steel and a single link breaks, the chain is ruined. All of the chain has to be strong, not most of it, and on that weak link, the whole chain relies.
We often don’t notice these gifts. We take them for granted so often that they become invisible, only appearing in our view when we lose them or even a small part of them. Just notice how a normal cold deprives you of smell and taste and can ruin your enjoyment of your favorite beverages and foods. Look at any tall, well-built man: His powerful physique won’t mean much if he sprains his ankle and can’t walk properly. He’s so used to his feet functioning properly at all times, never giving that a second thought.
Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is over 2 meters tall, and almost 150kg; an imposing physical specimen, you see him running across basketball courts, dominating the competition. This mountain of a man once suffered an injury, not in his knee or his ankle, but in one of his toes, and this tiny toe forced him out of competition and kept him out of several games! After these reflections, can we say that you are only as strong as your weakest parts?
When it was time for lunch, he asked his people to find someone to join him, an old generosity custom. Since they were far from the city, they had trouble finding anyone, and finally found a Bedouin alone in the desert, so they told him to go them to the governor’s tent.
Hajjaj welcomed him and asked him to join him, but the man refused, saying he was fasting (voluntary, not Ramadan). “How can you fast in such a hot day?” he asked, to which the Bedouin responded, “I want to win God’s favor.”
Hajjaj suggested, “Eat today and fast tomorrow,” and the Bedouin still refused. In one final attempt to convince him, the governor told him, “The food is really good!,” and the Bedouin looked at the tempting banquet, with the hot bread and delicious dishes, and said, “Neither your baker nor your cook made this food good; health did.”
I read that story when I was a kid and it has stuck with me for years. I love reading such old stories because they contain lots of wisdom, sometimes from unlikely sources. In this instance, this lone Bedouin opened my eyes to a fact that was lost on me and lost on many people: Health is the invisible element that makes a person enjoy his life. Without it, even the most delicious foods, the most gorgeous sceneries and the most gratifying experiences may mean nothing at all.
There’s a famous saying, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This means that if you use a chain made from the strongest carbon steel and a single link breaks, the chain is ruined. All of the chain has to be strong, not most of it, and on that weak link, the whole chain relies.
We often don’t notice these gifts. We take them for granted so often that they become invisible, only appearing in our view when we lose them or even a small part of them. Just notice how a normal cold deprives you of smell and taste and can ruin your enjoyment of your favorite beverages and foods. Look at any tall, well-built man: His powerful physique won’t mean much if he sprains his ankle and can’t walk properly. He’s so used to his feet functioning properly at all times, never giving that a second thought.
Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is over 2 meters tall, and almost 150kg; an imposing physical specimen, you see him running across basketball courts, dominating the competition. This mountain of a man once suffered an injury, not in his knee or his ankle, but in one of his toes, and this tiny toe forced him out of competition and kept him out of several games! After these reflections, can we say that you are only as strong as your weakest parts?
