Sunday, June 23, 2013

On Prayer: Sam-I-Am, Revisited

It is exactly when we are at our best, top of the world, everything taco and tutti, that we should remember God and remain steadfast in prayer – that is, whatever the form our sadhana takes, whatever our practice. And it is exactly when we are at our lowest, most uncertain, as-losers-convinced, ready to throw in the towel and let the wolves have at us, ready to cut a vessel or throw ourselves in front of that bus – that we should remember God and remain steadfast in prayer. God is not absent and takes no break, so neither does sadhana.


Who remembers Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs And Ham? Sure you do, admit it. We loved it. Sam-I-Am running around totally getting on this other Seuss-character's nerves, chasing him all over, literally everywhere - and insisting he just try the green eggs and ham. And to make matters worse, everything is in rhyme – just the reason is never clear. Finally the poor guy gives up and accepts the invitation from Sam-I-Am, and lo and behold: he  loves the green eggs and ham. Of course, this lovely children's story wouldn't have reached any Muslim households, nor orthodox Jewish, as the ham would be neither helal nor kosher, notwithstanding that the Muslims are rather partial to green.



So my own take on it, if I may so presume: ends with the hum-drum guy, having been offered Bhajan and Prasad, shouting with awakened joy, "Thank you thank you, Sam-I-Am, I will try green eggs with Ram, I will sing bhajan with you, I will take some prasad too – I will praise God in a plane, I will praise God on a train, with a goat on a moat in a boat – every note, I will praise God in the rain, in the snow till I'm insane, I will praise God here and there, I will praise God everywhere! . . . Thank you, Sat Nam, Sam-I-Am, I do so love green eggs and Ram!"

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