3 Insights
“What you seek is seeking you.” — Rumi
“Scientists have theories. Philosophers have questions. Entrepreneurs have projects. Artists have obsessions. Amateurs have ideas.” — Vizi Andrei
“I walk somewhere, I run someplace, I lift something heavy, I eat something healthy, I read something good, I write something down, and only then do I take my bad mood seriously.” — Dylan O’Sullivan
What I Learned this Week
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, or simply Rumi, was a 13th-century poet, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic originally from Greater Khorasan in Greater Iran. Rumi’s works were written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he used Turkish, Arabic, and Greek in his verse. Born in 1207, he’s still quoted today. His words are still practical and impactful. The world has changed in many ways; but mankind stays the same in terms of spiritual and existential challenges.
Seek Suffering
IN 1920, JACK KENNEDY was not yet three years old. He was not a very healthy baby. He suffered from whooping cough, measles, and chicken pox. When Jack became sick with scarlet fever, a highly contagious and then potentially life-threatening disease at the time, his father, Joseph Kennedy, was terrified that Jack would die. As a young adult, he learned to compete with his older brother to make his body stronger. But while playing football at Harvard, he ruptured a disk in his spine, leaving him with a weak back for the rest of his life.
Despite World War II being underway in Europe, soon after graduating, Jack joined the Navy. He was commissioned a Lieutenant (Lt.) and assigned to the South Pacific as commander of a patrol torpedo (PT) boat, PT-109. Lt. Kennedy had a crew of twelve men whose mission was to stop Japanese ships from delivering supplies to their soldiers.
On the night of August 2, 1943—while PT-109 patrolled the waters looking for enemy ships to sink—one Japanese destroyer suddenly became visible. The enemy ship headed straight toward the patrol boat at full speed. At the wheel, Lt. Kennedy tried to swerve out of the way. The larger Japanese warship rammed PT-109, splitting it in half. Two of Lt. Kennedy’s men were killed, while others on the crew managed to jump off as their boat went up in flames.
Lt. Kennedy was thrown into the cockpit, once again injuring his weak back. One of his crew members, Patrick McMahon, was burned on his face and lost at sea. In the dark Pacific waters, Lt. Kennedy managed to find McMahon and haul him back to where the other survivors were clinging to a piece of the boat that was still afloat.
At sunrise, Lt. Kennedy led his men toward a small island several miles away. Despite his own injuries, Lt. Kennedy swam several for miles with a strap from McMahon’s life jacket clenched between his teeth.
After six days, two native islanders found the stranded crew and went for help, delivering a message that the Lt. had carved into a piece of coconut shell. The next day, he and his crew were rescued. Jack Kennedy, later known as John F. Kennedy, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage.
Too often we give up at the first sign of suffering. We must remember that life is tough. To survive and thrive, we must be tougher. To be physically tough, you must train your body hard. To be mentally tough, you must train your mind hard. To be spiritually tough, you must have a strong WHY.
Question to Reflect on
Our mind can play tricks on us when we least expect it.
Q: What are you seeking and what is seeking you?
The Real Con 102