The Power of Movement

There is an interesting story in the history of ancient Samaria. It was of a time they were besieged round-about by a great Syrian army and there was no way of going into the city or out of it. Typically, supply ran short, inflation hit the economy and life became so hard that people couldn’t buy the cheapest foods. In one gross instance, two women negotiated to kill and eat their sons to survive and actually succeeded in killing one.

When things seemed to only spiral downwards, four lepers negotiated the unthinkable amongst themselves. They reasoned that they couldn’t go into their own city because death was imminent for the merciful able-bodied talk less of the physically handicapped. Their other option was to head for the camp of the Syrian army – their enemies. They would most likely be killed but they had a slim chance of engendering enough pity to get food. They summarized their discussion this way: “Why sit her until we die?” and moved towards the Syrians. This seemingly insignificant half-hearted movement of four lepers saved a nation.

I like that question and I think it is important we intermittently ask ourselves this question. Why sit in our conditions and die? Why sit in poverty and die? Why sit in confusion and die? Why sit in ignorance and die? Nothing moves until you move. Nature responds to movement and never to inaction. If you remain the way you are things will remain the way they are.

I remember that I have always desired to be a published author. I especially wanted to write a book that will draw the attention of international publishers. This was an ‘incredible” dream considering the fact that I had no foundation for such. I set out working on my first book, Do it Like Kids, and sent out applications to numerous companies. I got rejected by several but didn’t feel hurt because I wasn’t popular enough to be hurt. It took four years and one evening I received an offer for an all-expense-paid contract with a lovely company.

If I hadn’t moved by writing and pursuing the dream, it wouldn’t matter how long I spent dreaming over and over of being published, it will never happen. If I didn’t move by writing and pursuing, but rather sat back to wish, the dream would be dead today. It would have been said of me, “He sat until his dream died.”