“Death is not extinguishing the light, it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
Rabindranath Tagore (May 7, 1861 – August 7, 1941)
First non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1913)
Shakespeare believed, “The valiant never taste of death but once” (Julius Caesar II,ii,32-37), but in fact we die many times while we are still alive to prepare for that final passing. The innocence of the child has to die in order to welcome the dawn of adventurous youth. Yet, if we hold on to our youth and adult life, we cannot experience the wisdom and freedom of old age.
We die to the myths and fairy tales of childhood to accept the dawn of philosophies and doctrines. But are we willing to risk dying to all that sustains us at the adult stage in order to welcome the wisdom of the sages? We thus return once again to the mystical and magical life of the child. The Kingdom of God belongs to little children.
We also know that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24). The question is how far are we willing to go down ‘the rabbit hole’ to get rid of material, mental, emotional and spiritual clutter so that our lives will bear abundant fruit? We abandon our selfish insecure selves that want to control and direct life; rather we let our authentic Selves come alive and flow with life with the confidence and ease of “the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.”
If we have the courage to extinguish the light of our present way of relating with God and everything that sustains it, we will experience the dawn of an exhilarating relationship with the Infinite Logos – ‘Energy charged with Power,’ the Divine Breath, THAT!
Paul's Blog 
Welcome the dawn indeed-:)
There it is again; encouragement to let go, let go of control and allow ourselves to feel God’s love and to flow with His grace “to be.” Coming alive one must die….and then “be alive.”
Thank you for posting the reflection. Your words are food that give me energy to change.
Thanks for the profound reminder that what we see all around us in nature is also stirring within us. However, we do have a choice. Are we open to the new life that is bursting within that with nurturing will bloom?
Good to hear from you in your blog, Paul. Your inspiring thoughts stirred my soul as I searched for what your message meant to me. It brought to mind the Buddhist story of the salt doll that journeyed for thousands of miles over land, until it finally came to the sea. It was fascinated by this strange moving mass, quite unlike anything it had ever seen before. “Who are you?” said the salt doll to the sea. The sea smilingly replied, “Come in and see.” So the doll waded in. The farther it walked into the sea the more it dissolved, until there was only very little of it left. Before that last bit dissolved, the doll exclaimed in wonder, “Now I know what I am!”
In my journey I have found the process of surrendering to God takes intention and commitment but only in letting go and letting God am I able to let go a little bit at a time of my attachment to the false ego. This dis-engaging of my attachment to the false ego has required I begin to let go of the “image” I have of myself and my desire for control and change my willfulness to willingness to say yes to God and what is. My daily commitment to Centering Prayer and attempt to live in the present moment have brought me to a place where like the salt doll I find that the old self begins to dissolve as the sea of God’s love envelopes me. David Steindl-Rast calls it God bathing.
Thank you Paul. Food for lots of thought.
I had a discussion with friends and we all agreed we were not ready to die (we are in our 60’s) but we wouldn’t want to go back either. This fabulous journey isn’t always an easy one. I am grateful for all that has brought me to where I am.
We light the lamp to control the dark. We can either fear the dark or trust in the dawn. Actually, I think I do a little of both.
As I am aging I am letting go of the things I can’t control with more ease. I pray that I walk closer and closer with my God so that I can welcome the dawn.
It’s great to have your blog once again. It really is so refreshing and has a way of churning our thoughts. JoAnn Rulo has expressed the very thoughts I had, especially about “… dis-engaging of my attachment to the false ego. I begin to let go of the “image” I have of myself and my desire for control… ” Thanks Paul for stirring these thoughts in me – it makes a lot of sense. I hope I can let go of the false ego which comes in the way of doing good in this world.
The question is how far are we willing to go down the rabbit hole……..?
Each time I feel all energy all courage fail me let me be aware that, even then, it is only in You and You in me, I find the strength to pray “Father not my will but Thine be done”.
Let me grow each day more and more into the joyfully happy awareness that without You I can do nothing. In You, at all times, I live, I move, I have my being.