Healing follows the experience of suffering as day follows night. The two are inseparable just like the two sides of a coin. Suffering sets the stage for healing to begin. The two are apparently diametrically opposite, yet, together, they complete the cycle and enwrap within their fold the entire expanse and spread of human experience. Suffering begets healing and vice versa, and the cycle continues. As the well known Arabic poet and visionary, Kahlil Gibran, wrote:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the self-same well from which your laughter rises
was oftentimes filled with your tears.
…The deeper that sorrow carves into your being,
the more joy you can contain.
…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.
…they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board,
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

The Prophet 1998: 36-37

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.