The Parable of the Golden Calf.
Once, long ago, there lived a young calf. He was lively, overly active, not simple—hard to manage. His curiosity sometimes brought great sorrow to his family and loved ones, because they placed on him more than he himself wished to bear.
One day he saw in the garden a rose, a beautiful golden rose. Its beauty was undeniable. Yet the feeling it inspired could hardly be called alive. Still, everyone admired its beauty so much that they forgot to breathe and to think! It was that splendid.
The calf wanted to be like that rose, to be admired, admired without causing any anxiety or unrest. But the absence of feeling is not grace, and admiration for beauty is not love. He only came to his senses when an elder approached him and disabused him of his speculations and desires, showing the true path to love and the real gift of grace—in service and praise, in acceptance and in fidelity.
Thus, excessive demands placed on someone often reflect a distorted view of truth. Some grieved because another failed to meet their expectations, while the other tried to become better, drowning in the illusion of deception. Had his desire come true—had he acquired the beauty of that golden rose—what then? People would admire him, but that would not be love. He would no longer stir emotion, for he would have frozen in his life.
Do not try to revive in someone what is unavailable to you. And do not try to be that unfathomable thing for someone else. For in both cases the illusion of self-deception will play a cruel trick.
Live, and with that life-energy replenish your losses, and with its bright energy do good—giving love, hope, and support, words of joy, calm, and peace, of grace: that same grace that descends upon you now, warming you with its gentle, careful glow, taking the shape and weight that best reveal your rich inner world with unprecedented gems of vivid colors, so unusual and so inspiring for creating new masterpieces called life. 🙏
The Parable of the Golden Calf.
