In the story of the carrot and the donkey, a carrot is tied to the end of a string, which is attached to a stick protruding from the donkey’s harness. No matter how many steps the donkey takes in pursuit of that carrot, he never gets any closer to his goal.
“Is a donkey the same as a jackass?” I asked my husband. He didn’t know for sure, so I looked it up.
Don-key; a domestic ass; equus asinus.
“Ahhh…, ‘domesticated’ I thought…far different then ‘wild’ or ‘bad’, for sure but, most likely quite similar to ’smart’ and ‘bare’, I guessed. Then I looked up:
“Jack-ass” and it said “a male donkey”.
Then I began to wonder if females were called Jill-asses. I’d never heard of a ‘jill-ass’ but that could be a result of my own ignorance. Aha! females are called Jenny. It didn’t matter anyway, Jack, Jill, Jenny…, same carrot.
In my story, this carrot is a *magic* carrot. Called the Carrot of Perfection. Merely getting a whiff of it, brings promises of becoming a Perfect Ass.
How do I know?
Because I’ve been that donkey, forever it seems, plodding after that Carrot of Perfection.
Then realized one day, like a real dumb-ass, that Perfection was a Quality that belonged to Divinity alone.
And being ‘human’, was about making *mistakes*…thinking outside of the box of Divinity, outside our Ever Loving Mind. The very idea of a “Perfect Human” being a contradiction in itself; an oxymoron. I got the ‘moron’ part but not the ‘oxy’, for I saw no point…
It’s an empty idea, an empty promise. Promising something when nothing is what will be delivered. It is a tease of seduction that sends us down trails in opposite direction of the genuine desires of our Hearts. For it is in connecting with the Divine Donkey within our Heart that we become a …
Wise-ass.
It’s not Perfection that counts, that is of worth and value, Spiritually. It’s our ability and capacity to embrace Imperfection that counts, that is the Standard of Value and Worth.
“Things of Value I carry with me where ever and when ever I go.” No matter what kind of beast of burden I am.
Sue Ann Edwards
CordieB
Mark
June 6th, 2008 - 10:56 am
Sue Ann, thanks for the post! Always interesting stuff – THANKS! I’d like to share something with you that I, personally have been thinking about a lot recently. It’s a book called alled Harmonic Wealth and it’s all about finding harmony in your life in all areas – financial, relational, mental, physical, and spiritual. It has some really good tips about how to engage all five pillars (or areas) of your life, and to learn more about how they complement each other. Rather than dealing with each issue individually, maybe take a look at the bigger picture.
Here’s the link to that book I recommend: harmonicwealth.com/read
Have a great weekend!
a James Ray Fan
June 6th, 2008 - 2:20 pm
Welcome {{{JR Fan}}} !
Just to let you know, I allowed the link, however, I withhold my support for any of the teachings.
To me, it’s the same pile of shallow *crap* that’s been circulating the past 10 years. A lot of chatter from and about our false egos…that’s all it is.
I guide to start looking at our emotional coping skills, as they directly relate to limitations in spiritual qualities of character. Much has been written in the past, relating to MATERIAL “abundance”, that has been really nothing more then a whitewash job, trying to cover up our spiritual bankruptcy.
June 7th, 2008 - 1:48 pm
Hi Sue Ann – You’ll never believe it but JR Fan left an almost identical comment on my site. Isn’t that an incredible coincidence?
This donkey story is a very useful one to bear in mind. And in my case, at least, the carrot takes on a number of subtly different disguises: the carrot of perfection, the carrot of achievement, the carrot of security, the carrot of the world’s good opinion… but it’s always the same carrot really, I think. And it occurs to me, too, that the donkey has eyes only for the carrot, so he/she is missing all the scenery along the way.
June 7th, 2008 - 2:41 pm
I saw that comment {{{simon}}}.
Notice there is no linking in the comment’s code?
I let it stand that way. Seeing it as *perfect* just the way it was submitted.
‘What’s in it for me?”, I ask myself. Why should I help market someone else’s book when MY goal is to get my own into publications? It isn’t I say ‘no’ to cooperation, however, I choose to live by a personal Standard. One I have set.
I did check it out. It is the same *yuhoo* stuff that’s been parading around for at least the past 15 years, the way I ’see’ it. It’s what I would call a child of the energy of the seduction of glamor.
It DOES has its purpose. I know for a fact how stubborn we can be and where we can’t be pushed, we can be led around my the nose. World glamor being the ring around our nose.
*been there*
smiling…
as for missing the scenery…how many times have we heard renditions of the “the purpose is the journey, not the destination”?
It takes “One” to know “One”!
What does Jenny say to Jack?
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
June 7th, 2008 - 6:50 pm
I see the little glammer spammer has hit you guys too. Harmony is yet another carrot! So is ridding one’s self of all ego I think. An impossible feat; that become egotistical in the act itself.
You guys have me rolling literally this evening. Great writing Sue Ann and Simon; and good funny stuff to boot! Hee-haw! Hee-haw!
June 8th, 2008 - 12:33 pm
I’m glad you’re enjoying this, too! {{cordieb}} Laughing at and with ourselves…is very healthy! What I haven’t expressed very much or very well is the frivolity and laughter that fills my daily life most of the time. Just the news and the perspectives being expressed can leave me rolling…I guess in answer to my question, ‘what we will think of next?’
Harmony a carrot? Yes, I’d say, in the way most of us are imagining it, it is. We’re looking to see it. We’re looking for some of it in the World.
And I what I discovered Harmony genuinely Is, for it is another Divine Attribute, another Divine Quality of Being, is an Attitude.
I can choose an attitude that is IN Harmony with the World, which is the choice of Be-ing AS I was Created to be (Divine) or…
I can choose an attitude that is OUT OF Harmony with the World, which is the choice of Be-ing what I have made of myself. An ASS most of the time.
Ego, meaning ‘I go’, is simply a choice of WHAT I choose to Be: As or Ass. Divine or donkey.
Jesus rode a donkey, the donkey did not ride him.
“Harmony” is a state I exist in, or least endeavor to maintain, no matter what I am experiencing or the World is experiencing. For only when I feel it, can I extend it in response to ….whatever.
When I feel off-balanced and lacking in harmony, then I *know*, that shifting my own way of how I am seeing things, is what is required. It’s part and parcel of being Sovereign…uh…um…er…being A Sovereign.
Grounding, anchoring and maintaining these ’states’ of experience. Being able to call upon them at any moments notice in order to RESPOND as needed and required by the World.
I would call my Self very egotistical, for I inspire us to feel MORE Love and Respect and Honor for our own selves. I choose Self-more-ness, rather then self-less-ness. I also illuminate that wilfulness and willingness are as different from each other as are being aggressive and being assertive.
{{JR Fan}} is as he says most likely, a fan of JR. JR being the author of the book he most likely got signed up as an affiliate to sell. And proceeding along the way in creating as many links as possible in order to climb in the search engine ratings.
And I have done a very loving and kind thing for him, in pointing out the technique won’t work if he doesn’t know how to submit the correct code.
As a wise-ass, I know how to respond in Harmony to a dumb-ass.
c?
Hee-haw!
June 14th, 2008 - 10:02 am
Many thanks for the compliment, Cordieb! My guess is that there’s no link because JR and JR Fan are one and the same person. The way I see it, co-operation is when someone leaves a comment which makes a genuine effort to engage with the post, in which case I’m perfectly happy for them to leave a relevant link. But otherwise it’s like they’re ignoring the blogger’s half of the conversation, which is kind of rude. I mean, it’s OK for them to do it – but it’s also fine for us to delete the comment. JRFan made a token effort, so just scraped by on the day. Another guy just left the title of his book and nothing else. He got deleted.
I was just listening to one of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs. It seems to be relevant to this post, so it’s a great excuse to quote it. Which is great because I *love* it:
Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That’s how the light gets in.
Or hear it from the man himself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjtE2-dLjSs
June 14th, 2008 - 1:00 pm
Smiling….ohhhh, I suspect the same thing, that JR and JRFan are one and the same but it really doesn’t matter. It’s like you said {{simon}} about adding to someone’s blog. Share something relevant, so it’s a win-win relationship.
I let this comment stand without deleting it and I did it on purpose, so I could then address what was shared, making it relevant but not in the way JRFan would have hoped…it isn’t wise to attract the attention of a living Master when trying to market a fake book on it.
And {{{simon}}}}….in my ignorance I had NEVER HEARD Leonard Cohen and I REALLY REALLY enjoyed his work!
{{{{THANK YOU!!!!!}}}}}
June 15th, 2008 - 3:37 pm
Glad you enjoyed it!! If you want to explore more, I recommend the Essential Leonard Cohen double CD, spanning over 30 years of his work. (No, it’s OK – I’m not on an affiliate deal…)
June 15th, 2008 - 3:51 pm
“No, it’s OK – I’m not on an affiliate deal…”
winking….neither am I!!!!
Just like I won’t wear any clothes with any designer labels unless they pay me for marketing first. If I’m going to be a walking billboard, I’m going to get paid for it.
My Daddy didn’t raise me to be a dummy.
June 17th, 2008 - 5:22 pm
Hey there. I could swear I’ve seen the carrot and the donkey here before, perhaps disguised? at any rate, always a treat and a blessings. Mine to you today.
June 19th, 2008 - 3:55 pm
It would not surprise me if I’d expressed the same ideas before in perhaps a different way, a different story much the same…
But you have set me to wondering…
Ya’ know, over 20 years ago I was told to get used to being redundant…But you know, while we’re all learning a *new* way, we could all use reminders, one hand washing another. Until we can replace our old habits with new ones.
A great sense of ease comes with realizing we don’t need to even TRY to be ‘perfect’. Just be divine!
Blessings to you and yours this day!
{{{hugs}}}}
November 2nd, 2009 - 11:44 am
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