“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)
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An old Laborer grew so tired that he threw down the bundle of sticks and cried out: “I cannot bear life any longer. I wish Death would come and take me!”
As he spoke, Death appeared and said to him: “What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard you beckon me to task.”
“Why, yes,” replied the Laborer with great trepidation, “perhaps you would kindly help me to lift this bundle of sticks onto my shoulder?”
Moral of the Story: Be careful what you wish for. The mind attracts the subject of its focus.
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Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
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Why We Loved It: In what may be the earliest known phrasing of “Speak of the Devil [or Death], and thus he appears,” Aesop is master psychologist, exposing two related rules of success-think: Our goal tends to be the object of our focus, and we must endure the task. We can be undone in a moment. The Laborer gave up, inviting Death, and Death was too glad to approach.
Such as it is, to descend takes little or no strength, as nature provides gravity as assistance. But, to ascend takes work, continued work, endurance, and focus. Climbing takes work, because it contradicts nature’s tendencies. The slide is easy, fun, and tends to be popular.
In his evergreen masterpiece, As a Man Thinketh—required reading for every student of leadership—James Allen guides us on the mind-work-to-reality correlation:
“ALL that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man’s. His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within.
“As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
“A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts.
“Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. He may not, in order to succeed, give up all animality and selfishness, by any means; but a portion of it must, at least, be sacrificed. A man whose first thought is bestial indulgence could neither think clearly nor plan methodically; he could not find and develop his latent resources, and would fail in any undertaking. Not having commenced to manfully control his thoughts, he is not in a position to control affairs and to adopt serious responsibilities. He is not fit to act independently and stand alone. But he is limited only by the thoughts, which he chooses.
“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment.
“He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.“
James Allen, As a Man Thinketh (1903)
The rules are restated at different points in time by different vehicles of truth, but they tend to converge: Righteous Goals, Focus, Work, Discipline, and Endurance—weaving happiness into the framework that we know must always be. It only takes one second of taking our eye off of the ball to lose a game, or making one bad call.
“Oculus sapientiae semper vigilans debet esse, sicut stulti in ictu fiunt.” (“The eye of wisdom must be ever-vigilant, as fools are made in a blink.”)
“1. Right View. 2. Right Thought. 3. Right Speech. 4. Right Behavior. 5. Right Livelihood. 6. Right Effort. 7. Right Mindfulness. 8. Right Concentration.” The Buddha, The Eight Noble Path.
“Talk of the Devil, and he’s presently at your elbow.” Giovanni Torriano, Piazza Universale, 1666
“Talk of the Devil, and see his horns.” Cataplus, a mock Poem, p. 72,1672; Hazlitt’s Proverbs, 7752
“Talk of the Devil, and he’ll either come or send.” Hazlitt’s Proverbs, 7751
“Marry, he must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.” Shakespeare, Comedy of Errors, Act IV, Sc. III
“No good of himself does a listener hear, Speak of the devil he’s sure to appear.” Stevens Point Journal, Wisconsin, February 1892:
“All things are ready, if our minds be so.” Shakespeare, Henry V, Act IV, Sc. III
Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes. The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass.
James Allen, As a Man Thinketh.
“Nullius frugis primae substantiae substantia intentos facit vacuum.” (“Lack of substance creates a vacuum that draws first upon that which lacks substance.”); “Oculus sapientiae semper vigilans debet esse, sicut stulti in ictu fiunt.” (“The eye of wisdom must be ever-vigilant, as fools are made in a blink.”) ~ grz
© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn. Arnold Zegarelli can be contacted through Facebook.
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