A Jihad Warrior

"The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself." ~ Rumi from Rumi: Daylight

Mevlana Rumi: The great Islamic Persian poet and mystic.

He might be called the world's ultimate jihad warrior.

But, only if you take a moment to appreciate the true, deeply spiritual nature of the concept of jihad--a concept distorted in modern times by both extreme Islam groups and Western views.

The root of jihad means "to strive" or "to exert oneself" and has two manifestations: one internal and one external. It's interesting to note that the struggle to achieve perfection of the self has been called the greater struggle or greater "holy war" (al-jihad al-akbar) in contrast to the lesser struggle (al-jihad al-asghar), which is against injustice and oppressors in this world.

Powerful stuff.

How's your jihad?!?

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More thoughts on the subject of self-mastery:

"The intelligent want self-control; children want candy."

I don't know about you, but I'd like the candy AND the self-control. :)

Seriously. (Well, actually I was being serious. :).

Self-mastery. All the wise teachers profess its power.

Nietzsche likes to say: "He who cannot command himself should obey. And many can command themselves, but much is still lacking before they can obey themselves."

And Leonardo da Vinci tells us: "One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself."

And, as we saw, another way Rumi says it: "The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself."

How about you? How's your self-mastery? Can you command yourself? And then obey?

What's one thing you know you should be doing that you're not currently doing?

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And, how about something that you are doing that you know you need to stop doing?!?

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Here's to the pursuit of self-control (and the candy that comes as a result)!

"Let's ask God to help us to self-control for one who lacks it, lacks his grace." ~ Rumi from Rumi: Daylight

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