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The Lesson of the Flower and the Stone
- The Lesson of the Flower and the Stone -
A Treatise on the Nature of Compassion
One who shows compassion, and is moved by the sweetness of love, is like unto a most beautiful flower. The depth of love within a compassionate soul is like unto a blood red rose, for the deeper the love, the deeper the flower’s color and the brighter its’ beauty thereby. When compassion is coupled with passion, as when we fall in love, then the red rose is deepened so that it becomes a rare black rose of such beauty that it couldst be said to be akin to the very skies of the night itself, the void of space, and the depths of one’s soul. And within that darkness exists such light and beauty and glory so as to be beyond compare. Compassion is the gateway to love, which in turn lends itself to further compassion in a beautiful and endless cycle of perfection. Passion merely lends fire to it, and increases the power of love itself in the soul, the heart, and the mind alike. One who wouldst be compassionate and loving must therefore strive to be like unto a flower. I liken myself to a black rose, because I am a passionate, as well as compassionate, soul. Such is my nature!
In contrast, one who is cold, and so knows nothing of the wise virtues the flower embodies, is like unto a cold stone. A flower’s perfection is most evident in its’ petals, its’ scent, and its’ delicate and pleasing form. Although seeming to be weak, the flower’s roots are mighty, and a rose’s thorns a bane to those would do not treat it with adequate respect. A stone is usually most plain, however. Gray, and ordinary in the extreme! Hard, too, is the stone, and may be turned to cruelty in the wrong hands. As when a soldier arms his sling, to do injury unto his enemy, on the field of a terrible battle in some bygone primitive age. What harm does ever a flower do? More deaths: have been caused by stones, than flowers.
A compassionate soul surrounded by much cruelty is like unto a flower that grows in a garden of stones. The stones care nothing for the flower, but it matters not, for the flower blooms not for them. Indeed, anyone who chances to pass by that garden will see first the unique nature of the flower that, compared to all the rocks surrounding it, is both lovely and wonderful in all of its’ strangeness. If left alone, it will continue to cause others who pass by it to remark upon its’ glory. If by chance it is plucked, then it is because its’ glory was so needed by someone, that it couldst not longer be ignored. It will be savored, it will be loved, and its’ legendary beauty will not soon be forgotten Who ever remembers the beauty of plain rocks, which dot desolated placed like the pebbles in a quarry, which are stepped on and then forgotten.
Art they not common, plain stones and rocks? So common, in fact, that if ever misplaced or discarded, they are easily lost to time and memory alike. There are many such rocks in a stone garden. Always there will be another, to take the place of one lost or thrown away. Nothing, however, can ever replace the unique beauty of that special flower that is beloved of the one who plucked it! For its’ like may not be seen in that same stone garden again. The flower cares not for what the thoughts of the stones may nor may not be, or what jealousies the rocks may or may not harbor towards it. Rather, it is content in itself and its’ own individuality. It is humbly, but never sinfully, proud of its’ own perfection. Certain flowers, plants, and herbs can even be used to heal those in need, suffering from illness. Such things can create miracles!
What ordinary rock has ever been known to cure anything? It cannot ease the suffering of others, nor canst it please the higher senses and the soul. How much better, therefore, to be a flower, than ever to be a stone! To show love and compassion: instead of coldness and cruelty. The world is as a garden of stones. What beauty we fill it with, depends upon the choices we are so often called upon, by life, to make. Whether they are good choices or evil choices. Such is the nature of the lesson of the flower and the stone. It is a lesson of two paths. Which path wilt thou decide to take? Only one, leads to harmony and peace. The other, to stagnation and hardship! Which path wouldst thou prefer to walk?
Aye, there are flowers, plants, and herbs that can kill or sicken if put to that use by twisted hands… but by themselves they are harmless if one leaves them to their own beauty rather than imposing one’s own will upon them. Flowers that are respected, harm nothing. But stones and rocks, in rockslides or avalanches, can kill in the natural course of nature’s very design for them. If a pile of flowers falls upon thee, thou wilt never die from it! But if a pile of rocks and stones doth fall upon thee, thou wilt always be harmed at the least or crushed at the worst. A flower has it not within its’ own nature, to kill unless twisted to do so, and that is yet another difference between a flower and a stone. Stones of a certain type can be hade into primitive knives, made to kill in that way also… they can be made into burial cairns which cover the dead. Death is always associated with them! But whilst a flower may be laid upon the grave of a loved one, this is done as an act of love and compassion for that loved one. Not to cover them and keep the dead from sight of the living. Always, a flower is associated with brighter things, whilst stones are associated with darker motifs. Such is the nature of things!
A flower, individually, is a glorious thing to behold. And when other flowers grow along with it, as in a bountiful flower garden containing hundreds of brilliantly colored flowers of every sort… is not a single flower’s beauty multiplied thereby, and is not that beauty made heavenly to behold therefore! It is indeed so, verily I say unto thee that this is so. Lovers, friends, and those we care about who likewise care about us, add to the garden of beauty that humanity can become if they choose to be compassionate and loving by nature. This is why I choose to have compassion for my fellows, why I choose to love freely and without restriction or limitation. This is why I am like unto a flower, and not a stone. It is within my nature to love and to care, to nurture and to create. Let us all strive to be likewise, and do likewise, if it lies within our natures to do so! If it is not, then always remember that the nature of things can change. Even of stones! Stones can be crushed to become a part of the soil and earth… and if we crush our coldness and cruelty within ourselves, we can then transform it into fruitful earth. Then, the seeds of compassion and love too can be planted within that very soil, so that one day a beautiful flower can rise up, bloom, and allow its’ beauty to replace the cold gray stone that once lay where it now prospers. Whilst the nature of ever human cannot always change… anyone can change if they choose to! They have only to look to the lesson of the flower and the stone, learn from it, and allow light to fill the dark places within. Blessed be!
A Treatise on the Nature of Compassion
One who shows compassion, and is moved by the sweetness of love, is like unto a most beautiful flower. The depth of love within a compassionate soul is like unto a blood red rose, for the deeper the love, the deeper the flower’s color and the brighter its’ beauty thereby. When compassion is coupled with passion, as when we fall in love, then the red rose is deepened so that it becomes a rare black rose of such beauty that it couldst be said to be akin to the very skies of the night itself, the void of space, and the depths of one’s soul. And within that darkness exists such light and beauty and glory so as to be beyond compare. Compassion is the gateway to love, which in turn lends itself to further compassion in a beautiful and endless cycle of perfection. Passion merely lends fire to it, and increases the power of love itself in the soul, the heart, and the mind alike. One who wouldst be compassionate and loving must therefore strive to be like unto a flower. I liken myself to a black rose, because I am a passionate, as well as compassionate, soul. Such is my nature!
In contrast, one who is cold, and so knows nothing of the wise virtues the flower embodies, is like unto a cold stone. A flower’s perfection is most evident in its’ petals, its’ scent, and its’ delicate and pleasing form. Although seeming to be weak, the flower’s roots are mighty, and a rose’s thorns a bane to those would do not treat it with adequate respect. A stone is usually most plain, however. Gray, and ordinary in the extreme! Hard, too, is the stone, and may be turned to cruelty in the wrong hands. As when a soldier arms his sling, to do injury unto his enemy, on the field of a terrible battle in some bygone primitive age. What harm does ever a flower do? More deaths: have been caused by stones, than flowers.
A compassionate soul surrounded by much cruelty is like unto a flower that grows in a garden of stones. The stones care nothing for the flower, but it matters not, for the flower blooms not for them. Indeed, anyone who chances to pass by that garden will see first the unique nature of the flower that, compared to all the rocks surrounding it, is both lovely and wonderful in all of its’ strangeness. If left alone, it will continue to cause others who pass by it to remark upon its’ glory. If by chance it is plucked, then it is because its’ glory was so needed by someone, that it couldst not longer be ignored. It will be savored, it will be loved, and its’ legendary beauty will not soon be forgotten Who ever remembers the beauty of plain rocks, which dot desolated placed like the pebbles in a quarry, which are stepped on and then forgotten.
Art they not common, plain stones and rocks? So common, in fact, that if ever misplaced or discarded, they are easily lost to time and memory alike. There are many such rocks in a stone garden. Always there will be another, to take the place of one lost or thrown away. Nothing, however, can ever replace the unique beauty of that special flower that is beloved of the one who plucked it! For its’ like may not be seen in that same stone garden again. The flower cares not for what the thoughts of the stones may nor may not be, or what jealousies the rocks may or may not harbor towards it. Rather, it is content in itself and its’ own individuality. It is humbly, but never sinfully, proud of its’ own perfection. Certain flowers, plants, and herbs can even be used to heal those in need, suffering from illness. Such things can create miracles!
What ordinary rock has ever been known to cure anything? It cannot ease the suffering of others, nor canst it please the higher senses and the soul. How much better, therefore, to be a flower, than ever to be a stone! To show love and compassion: instead of coldness and cruelty. The world is as a garden of stones. What beauty we fill it with, depends upon the choices we are so often called upon, by life, to make. Whether they are good choices or evil choices. Such is the nature of the lesson of the flower and the stone. It is a lesson of two paths. Which path wilt thou decide to take? Only one, leads to harmony and peace. The other, to stagnation and hardship! Which path wouldst thou prefer to walk?
Aye, there are flowers, plants, and herbs that can kill or sicken if put to that use by twisted hands… but by themselves they are harmless if one leaves them to their own beauty rather than imposing one’s own will upon them. Flowers that are respected, harm nothing. But stones and rocks, in rockslides or avalanches, can kill in the natural course of nature’s very design for them. If a pile of flowers falls upon thee, thou wilt never die from it! But if a pile of rocks and stones doth fall upon thee, thou wilt always be harmed at the least or crushed at the worst. A flower has it not within its’ own nature, to kill unless twisted to do so, and that is yet another difference between a flower and a stone. Stones of a certain type can be hade into primitive knives, made to kill in that way also… they can be made into burial cairns which cover the dead. Death is always associated with them! But whilst a flower may be laid upon the grave of a loved one, this is done as an act of love and compassion for that loved one. Not to cover them and keep the dead from sight of the living. Always, a flower is associated with brighter things, whilst stones are associated with darker motifs. Such is the nature of things!
A flower, individually, is a glorious thing to behold. And when other flowers grow along with it, as in a bountiful flower garden containing hundreds of brilliantly colored flowers of every sort… is not a single flower’s beauty multiplied thereby, and is not that beauty made heavenly to behold therefore! It is indeed so, verily I say unto thee that this is so. Lovers, friends, and those we care about who likewise care about us, add to the garden of beauty that humanity can become if they choose to be compassionate and loving by nature. This is why I choose to have compassion for my fellows, why I choose to love freely and without restriction or limitation. This is why I am like unto a flower, and not a stone. It is within my nature to love and to care, to nurture and to create. Let us all strive to be likewise, and do likewise, if it lies within our natures to do so! If it is not, then always remember that the nature of things can change. Even of stones! Stones can be crushed to become a part of the soil and earth… and if we crush our coldness and cruelty within ourselves, we can then transform it into fruitful earth. Then, the seeds of compassion and love too can be planted within that very soil, so that one day a beautiful flower can rise up, bloom, and allow its’ beauty to replace the cold gray stone that once lay where it now prospers. Whilst the nature of ever human cannot always change… anyone can change if they choose to! They have only to look to the lesson of the flower and the stone, learn from it, and allow light to fill the dark places within. Blessed be!
Published 6th Nov 2014
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Anonymous
7th Nov 2014 3:25am
Gothic, Beauty, Passion, Flowers, and dark story I enjoyed. It made me smile and the way you describe the story. The title suits this wonderful work of yours.
"A compassionate soul surrounded by much cruelty is like unto a flower that grows in a garden of stones."
This is one of my favorite quotes out of the whole poem. You done magnificent as always my lovely poetess.
"A compassionate soul surrounded by much cruelty is like unto a flower that grows in a garden of stones."
This is one of my favorite quotes out of the whole poem. You done magnificent as always my lovely poetess.
7th Nov 2014 4:18am
Thank you, lovely Lily! That line you quoted was a good choice for a favorite line, since it sums up the entire work to perfection. You have a good eye for the meanings of these sorts of things, dear one, and a very beautiful heart to be so drawn to such works as this. Gothic, beauty, passion, and flowers are all things that stir my soul and help to inspire my creativity, just as my having met you has helped to spark and inspire further creativity in me as well! For what flower can compare to the pure soul of a perfect lily? Surely only the rose, which I have oft been compared to, can come close. :) Which makes us like two perfect flowers in this garden of stones we call the world. Who knew how closely life could imitate art, and art life! ;)
