“What worries you, masters you.” ~ John Locke
It’s been said:
- Some people people worry that every time the tide goes out it might not come back in again.
- Some people storm imaginary Alps all their lives and die in the foothills, cursing difficulties which do not exist.
Sounds silly, doesn’t it?
But isn’t it true when worry sets up shop in your head, rational thought disappears? Who of us hasn’t woken up like Charlie Brown:
The interesting thing about worry Is that it’s such a uniquely human characteristic:
- No bird ever tries to build more nests than its neighbor.
- The fox does not fret because he has only one hole in which to hide.
- The squirrel does not sicken and die of anxiety lest he should not accumulate enough nuts for two winters instead of one.
- The dog loses no sleep over the fact that he does not have enough bones laid aside for his declining years.
My grandmother worried about another potato famine so she kept 100 pounds of potatoes stored in her basement.
How do we cure ourselves of excessive worry?
Well, I found an old story that suggests a kind of remedy…
In ancient times there once ruled an intelligent king who was, among other things, a worry wart. He worried about everything. Even the smallest matter caused him to fret and even though he had all the resources of his kingdom available to him he couldn’t help himself from worrying.
As a consequence he was a very unhappy king.
It was said his subjects never saw the king laugh so, in turn, they never smiled. It was sad, sad little kingdom.
Then one day at a meeting of the king’s court the chief magistrate decided to confront the king. Right after the king read off his long worry list the magistrate stood and petitioned the king to speak.
With permission granted he said, “Your majesty, I know you’re deeply worried about the problems in the kingdom and because you’re worried everybody else in the kingdom is worried as well. And because of it, nobody’s happy. I’d like to say to you I have a solution to the kingdom’s unhappiness.”
The king was astounded by the magistrate’s bold statement.
“Pray tell! What is your solution?”
“Your Majesty, what I’ve observed is that each day you come to court with a long list of things you’re worried about. Is this not so?”
The King responded, “Yes, that is true.”
“If that be true, Your Majesty, let me ask you one further question. Up to this very moment has your worry ever solved any of your problems?”
The king thought for a moment, cast his eyes down low, and whispered, “No.”
The chief magistrate, drawing close, said, “Then, dear king, why worry at all?”
POW.
Like a thunderbolt, the king saw what his worry had kept him from seeing — the folly of coming to court and infecting others with his unhappiness.
The king resolved to and henceforth would
- focus his energies only on the problems he could solve,
- reconcile himself to the problems he couldn’t solve, and
- let tomorrow take care of itself.
Finally, over the passage of time, the king ceased worrying and found peace of mind.
Laughter and good cheer returned to the Kingdom.
Maybe this Chinese proverb provides us our best protection from worry.
“That the birds of worry fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair — this you can prevent.”
So don’t forget to comb your hair in the morning.
Just a thought…
Pat
Copyright © 2022 Patrick J. Moriarty. All Rights Reserved.
Would you like to submit a post to Just A Thought? To learn more, please click here.