Counting Waves and Starting Again
Counting Waves and Starting Again
I enjoy Aesop's fables and their essence-rich way of conveying wisdom through stories typically spoken by animals or plants. In reflecting on the theme of acceptance or patience, I considered sharing and commenting on the famous fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
But then I remembered another fable that has an even more poignant, esoteric message on accepting the human condition. Lucian of Samosata, a second-century Syrian Greek philosopher, relates in one of his written works a lesser-known Aesopic fable. The following version includes the fox as the wise one.
A man sat on the shore and counted the waves breaking; missing count, he was excessively annoyed. But the fox came up and said to him: 'Why vex yourself, good sir, over the past ones? You should let them go, and begin counting afresh.'
Working in a system of self-observation and discovery, like the Fourth Way, provides many opportunities for developing patience and acceptance, because I often find myself stumbling or forgetting to do the Work. Like the man counting waves, I must be vigilant and patient with myself and accept that my acts of starting over are never wasted. If I am to awaken, I must start again and again.
If the Angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her, not by your tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning: to be a beginner. ─ Rainer Maria Rilke
I must also be cautious not to denigrate my restart efforts and criticize myself for being in a forever do-loop of starting over. This could descend easily into self-pity and uselessness (which it has on occasion). While Rilke’s humble resolve is a necessity, I must develop patience to work through the parts of my journey that I do not wish to repeat. That takes time and experience, guidance from my fellow seekers and Teacher, and a bit of luck, so patience is a natural corollary to the idea of acceptance that I must bring.
Every day is a new start of fresh efforts to remember myself. I must not bemoan my false starts and restarts but also need to learn from my mistakes and try to not repeat them. My Teacher stresses that we must learn to remember ourselves and then learn to sustain Presence.
Waves and clouds on North Carolina beach, 2025
Comments