Along Came A Spider
In an African story, the spider Ananse is given a mission by the sky god to collect all the wisdom of the world and bring it back to him. In exchange, he will be called 'the wisest of all time.' 'No problem,' replies Ananse. 'I'll do the lot in three days.'
"He collects all the wisdom in the world and puts it in a large pot. Then, tying the pot to his back, he starts to climb to the sky, scaling very slowly a tall coconut tree whose top is lost in the clouds. When anyone offers him help, he refuses it. He wants to do the whole job by himself, wants to be the one and only keeper of wisdom. He is very proud of his task. From the ground, everyone follows him with bated breath.
"At the end, Ananse does it: He arrives in the sky with all the wisdom of the earth. He has made it! What a triumph! What happiness! He lifts his eight legs high as a sign of victory. Alas! In doing this, he loses his grip and falls miserably to the ground. The pot breaks and the wisdom ends in a thousand pieces. Everyone wants these precious fragments and runs to get them: They are so interesting, so beautiful! And from that day, no one has a monopoly on wisdom. Everybody has a piece of it. Even the most ignorant, downtrodden, thick-headed, or apparently less gifted have a piece of wisdom. Everyone has something interesting and original to say."
Truly listening to what those around us have to say not only gives us an opportunity to glean wisdom, but causes us to slow down our pace, to pause and meditate, to silent the insistent chatter of our own petty thoughts. Truly listening to others, takes commitment. Truly listening to others shows our willingness to love both the speaker and ourselves.
May you always be willing to listen to the wisdom all around you.
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