My love affair with ‘The Prophet’
October 10, 2004 | 12:00am
I am a book addict with eclectic taste. I’ve had affairs with many different authors (their books actually). I could no longer remember how many had brought me orgasmic highs that warranted my undivided devotion for a time. They were mostly short-lived though.
The longest fling I’ve had with a book usually lasted for a month or two. When this happens, it means I got interested enough to read other books by the same author. And it was during these times when my former board mate (also a book addict) and I would go into orgiastic discussions that lasted till the wee hours of the morning, dissecting every nuance and merit of the current book we were reading, as well as analyzing the possible mental and emotional state of the author, while gorging on bags of junk food and pitchers of soft drinks.
But most of the time, my affair with a book would only be a one-night stand. That is, I would read it overnight, then go back to the library or book rental the following day to borrow another.
I knew my interest had waned when the first chapter failed to hold my attention, but drifted to the last chapter instead. That’s my gauge that it’s time to look for a new book by a different author.
However, my affair with The Prophet is different. In fact, it’s been going on for over a decade now and I don’t think it will be over anytime soon. It all started when I was introduced to Kahlil Gibran by my literature professor in UP. Little did she know that when she quoted him to the class, she would create a spark that would later grow into a blaze of longing to read the entire book myself.
Since then, whenever I frequented bookstores and book sales, I made it a point to look up this particular book. I usually found the author, but never the book I desired having so much, except one unfortunate occasion when my resources were truly drained. When I went back a few days later, some lucky soul had already beaten me to it.
My search finally ended when I chanced upon the book in the library of the school where I took up my Education degree. I leaped with glee when I finally got hold of it. The Prophet was innocently sitting on the shelf as though waiting for me. In fact, it was over six years since it last inspired and stirred another soul, as I found out when I checked the borrower’s slip.
I begged and prodded and nagged the library assistant to let me borrow it beyond the three-day limit. I was sure I would be reading it for a longer period than that.
The lady looked at me skeptically and wondered aloud why a fast reader like me (I could finish six 200-page paperbacks in a day in my younger days), would be needing at least two weeks to read a hundred-page book?
I reasoned that I needed more time than a day to fully savor this book, because Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece was different. Unlike other books that required reading from page one to finish, The Prophet doesn’t stick to that rule. You may leisurely start in any chapter you want. Each chapter contains short paragraphs only. But the wisdom imparted requires longer and deeper contemplation.
I’d like to believe it was providential that I found this book at a time I was going through an emotional crisis. When my eyes skimmed over the chapter on joy and sorrow, the following words "When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy... When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight..." leaped out from the page. It was as though Kahlil was speaking to me, soothing me after that gut-wrenching ego-crushing betrayal. Then and there, my grieving heart was finally appeased and healing commenced.
Gibran seemed to have written this book for people from all walks of life, in any state they are in. In fact, I could cite many instances when this book came in handy.
As a secondary school teacher, I attended regular parental consultations. Quoting Kahlil came in very handy especially with very demanding parents. The lines, "Your children are not your children. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you, for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday..." became my favorite quotation. Gibran was speaking to parents from all generations.
For the armed left-wing, and their effigy-bashing-placard-bearing associates who habitually pollute Mendiola and the US Embassy, tirelessly screaming their "cause", but leaving a mountain of trash in their wake, The Prophet has this to say, "You can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment." They shout their intention to be free of capitalist Uncle Sam while wearing stateside jeans and sneakers. They are so engrossed in their fossilized cause, they barely noticed that Russia had had its glasnost and, and the Berlin Wall had fallen.
We could gain insight from this advice: "You, alone and unguarded, commit a wrong unto others and therefore unto yourself. You speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. The wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all. Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self. When one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone. And he falls for those ahead of him, who though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone." We must learn to be accountable for the mistakes we have committed. We cannot keep on blaming others for our crumbling economy except ourselves. We have a corrupt government because we failed to elect the right officials. We continually sold our future in exchange for a pittance and small favors. Unfortunately, when the going gets rough, we chose to put the burden of guilt on our officials alone. Conveniently forgetting that we were the ones who elected them in the first place.
The Prophet was written over half a century ago, but the wisdom it imparts is timeless. What was true then still holds true in this day and age. And it has a universal appeal that broke down the boundaries of religion. Its philosophic essence has purity that feeds our spiritual hunger. It doesn’t proselytize but rather affirms whatever faith and beliefs we have. Truly a masterpiece worth having.
Like all borrowed things, I had to return The Prophet to the library. I did so with a heavy heart. I returned it almost four years ago and I pined for it ever since.
But that’s all in the past. Recently, I found me a downloadable copy of The Prophet. I now have a soft copy in my PC. And I could produce a hard copy anytime I want. Though I wouldn’t refuse if someone gifted me with the book (teehee).
It was my brother’s wedding that served as a catalyst for me to surf the Net and see if there’s anything on Kahlil Gibran. While mulling over what to put on his wedding invites, (I preferred something different other than the usual birds and golden rings picture) I recalled Kahlil Gibran’s counsel on marriage, "Love one another but make not a bond of love. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone. Even the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. And stand together, yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart. And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow." How apt for couples of the third millennium. For a marriage to survive, the man must acknowledge that his wife is his equal. Each spouse must accept that, though they are one in marriage, they are still two different individuals. Thus, they both need their own space to grow. And be the person they are destined to become.
In this day and age women are more aware of their rights. They want partnership rather than subservience. For a man born in the late 19th century, amazingly Kahlil Gibran was able to recognize this. Indeed, he was a man after my own heart!
I could go on and on singing paeans about The Prophet. In fact, other than the Bible, this is the book I want on my bedside table. Before sleep finally sets in, I want to bask in the afterglow of mental and emotional stimulation.
I think this affair is going to last a lifetime.
The longest fling I’ve had with a book usually lasted for a month or two. When this happens, it means I got interested enough to read other books by the same author. And it was during these times when my former board mate (also a book addict) and I would go into orgiastic discussions that lasted till the wee hours of the morning, dissecting every nuance and merit of the current book we were reading, as well as analyzing the possible mental and emotional state of the author, while gorging on bags of junk food and pitchers of soft drinks.
But most of the time, my affair with a book would only be a one-night stand. That is, I would read it overnight, then go back to the library or book rental the following day to borrow another.
I knew my interest had waned when the first chapter failed to hold my attention, but drifted to the last chapter instead. That’s my gauge that it’s time to look for a new book by a different author.
However, my affair with The Prophet is different. In fact, it’s been going on for over a decade now and I don’t think it will be over anytime soon. It all started when I was introduced to Kahlil Gibran by my literature professor in UP. Little did she know that when she quoted him to the class, she would create a spark that would later grow into a blaze of longing to read the entire book myself.
Since then, whenever I frequented bookstores and book sales, I made it a point to look up this particular book. I usually found the author, but never the book I desired having so much, except one unfortunate occasion when my resources were truly drained. When I went back a few days later, some lucky soul had already beaten me to it.
My search finally ended when I chanced upon the book in the library of the school where I took up my Education degree. I leaped with glee when I finally got hold of it. The Prophet was innocently sitting on the shelf as though waiting for me. In fact, it was over six years since it last inspired and stirred another soul, as I found out when I checked the borrower’s slip.
I begged and prodded and nagged the library assistant to let me borrow it beyond the three-day limit. I was sure I would be reading it for a longer period than that.
The lady looked at me skeptically and wondered aloud why a fast reader like me (I could finish six 200-page paperbacks in a day in my younger days), would be needing at least two weeks to read a hundred-page book?
I reasoned that I needed more time than a day to fully savor this book, because Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece was different. Unlike other books that required reading from page one to finish, The Prophet doesn’t stick to that rule. You may leisurely start in any chapter you want. Each chapter contains short paragraphs only. But the wisdom imparted requires longer and deeper contemplation.
I’d like to believe it was providential that I found this book at a time I was going through an emotional crisis. When my eyes skimmed over the chapter on joy and sorrow, the following words "When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy... When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight..." leaped out from the page. It was as though Kahlil was speaking to me, soothing me after that gut-wrenching ego-crushing betrayal. Then and there, my grieving heart was finally appeased and healing commenced.
Gibran seemed to have written this book for people from all walks of life, in any state they are in. In fact, I could cite many instances when this book came in handy.
As a secondary school teacher, I attended regular parental consultations. Quoting Kahlil came in very handy especially with very demanding parents. The lines, "Your children are not your children. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you, for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday..." became my favorite quotation. Gibran was speaking to parents from all generations.
For the armed left-wing, and their effigy-bashing-placard-bearing associates who habitually pollute Mendiola and the US Embassy, tirelessly screaming their "cause", but leaving a mountain of trash in their wake, The Prophet has this to say, "You can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment." They shout their intention to be free of capitalist Uncle Sam while wearing stateside jeans and sneakers. They are so engrossed in their fossilized cause, they barely noticed that Russia had had its glasnost and, and the Berlin Wall had fallen.
We could gain insight from this advice: "You, alone and unguarded, commit a wrong unto others and therefore unto yourself. You speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. The wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all. Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self. When one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone. And he falls for those ahead of him, who though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone." We must learn to be accountable for the mistakes we have committed. We cannot keep on blaming others for our crumbling economy except ourselves. We have a corrupt government because we failed to elect the right officials. We continually sold our future in exchange for a pittance and small favors. Unfortunately, when the going gets rough, we chose to put the burden of guilt on our officials alone. Conveniently forgetting that we were the ones who elected them in the first place.
The Prophet was written over half a century ago, but the wisdom it imparts is timeless. What was true then still holds true in this day and age. And it has a universal appeal that broke down the boundaries of religion. Its philosophic essence has purity that feeds our spiritual hunger. It doesn’t proselytize but rather affirms whatever faith and beliefs we have. Truly a masterpiece worth having.
Like all borrowed things, I had to return The Prophet to the library. I did so with a heavy heart. I returned it almost four years ago and I pined for it ever since.
But that’s all in the past. Recently, I found me a downloadable copy of The Prophet. I now have a soft copy in my PC. And I could produce a hard copy anytime I want. Though I wouldn’t refuse if someone gifted me with the book (teehee).
It was my brother’s wedding that served as a catalyst for me to surf the Net and see if there’s anything on Kahlil Gibran. While mulling over what to put on his wedding invites, (I preferred something different other than the usual birds and golden rings picture) I recalled Kahlil Gibran’s counsel on marriage, "Love one another but make not a bond of love. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone. Even the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. And stand together, yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart. And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow." How apt for couples of the third millennium. For a marriage to survive, the man must acknowledge that his wife is his equal. Each spouse must accept that, though they are one in marriage, they are still two different individuals. Thus, they both need their own space to grow. And be the person they are destined to become.
In this day and age women are more aware of their rights. They want partnership rather than subservience. For a man born in the late 19th century, amazingly Kahlil Gibran was able to recognize this. Indeed, he was a man after my own heart!
I could go on and on singing paeans about The Prophet. In fact, other than the Bible, this is the book I want on my bedside table. Before sleep finally sets in, I want to bask in the afterglow of mental and emotional stimulation.
I think this affair is going to last a lifetime.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>