There are always possibilities available to us in life. Whatever the world throws at us, we should never lose hope. Our circumstances will improve if we keep pursuing our desires.
There’s an old Sufi legend about a man named Mullah Nasrudin. This wise old philosopher was once condemned to death for saying things that upset the local Shah. When told of the sentence, Nasrudin immediately offered the Shah a proposition. He said, “Hold off the execution for a year and I will teach your horse how to fly.” The Shah was amused and intrigued. He thought about for only a minute and then agreed to the bargain.
Later, Nasrudin’s friend asked him if he really thought he could escape death with this crazy plan.
“Why not?” the wise man said. “A lot can happen in a year. Maybe there will be a revolution and a new government that’s more in tune with my thinking. Maybe there will be a foreign invasion and a new Shah will come to power. Or, maybe the present Shah will up and die of natural causes or get poisoned. If that happens, then according to tradition, the new Shah will have to pardon all prisoners awaiting execution. And besides, my captors might get careless and I’ll be able to escape – I’ll always be looking for opportunities to do that.
“And finally, if no other possibilities manifest, maybe I actually CAN teach the damned horse to fly!”
A key element of the Sufi world view, expressed here by Nasrudin, is that each person is an incarnate part of God, with infinite possibilities to improve his or her circumstances and in the process improve the world.
“Maybe the damned horse can fly” is a Sufi proverb that points out it is always a mistake to abandon hope.
