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Volume VIII - The Art of Being

The Privilege of Being Human

Chapter XXV
Satisfaction

The satisfaction of every soul lies in its recognition. Every person desires that there would be in the world someone who understands him well, at least as well as he understands himself. A wife says, 'I have a comfortable home and a good husband; I only wish that he would understand me better.' The servant says, 'I get good pay and the master is kind; I only wish that he would know me well.' An artist is satisfied when his art is admired by the knower. This is the usual seeking of every soul.

There is a story about a mimic who was performing his skill of imitating different birds and animals in the street in front of the window of a palace from where the king was looking on. At the end of his performance a golden shawl was thrown to him from the palace window as a reward from the king, and an old blanket was presented to him by a shepherd. The mimic adorned himself with the ragged blanket of the shepherd and kept the shawl of the king under his arm. The king disliked this behavior on the part of the mimic and asked him why he insulted the palace by adorning himself with the shepherd's gift, hiding the reward of the king. He answered, 'Because the shawl was given as a token of your Majesty's greatness, and the blanket was given purely in deep admiration for my imitation of the cow twitching its skin, which no one but the shepherds could understand so well.'

From this story we learn that there is no greater reward given or love shown than in recognition. As this is the desire of every soul, so it is also the desire of the Soul of souls. He puts forward His hand to such suitor who comes before Him with full recognition.