Life is a blend of contradictions

Life were insipid, Creator of the material world, if thou didst give everything for the asking. Life with no zest to achieve, no zeal to strive, no effort to get, no obstacle to overcome, and no hardship to encounter would be dull indeed. Life of all joy and happiness, with never a shadow of sorrow and misery, would be monotonous and would weary us, Ahura Mazda.

Life is kind to us and life is cruel to us, life sits light upon us and life sits heavy upon us, life is sunshine and life is darkness, life is joy and life is sorrow, life blooms and blossoms and withers and fades. Life upon earth, O Lord of life, is a blend of contradictions.

Life and suffering are inseparable and the world is a rough enough place to live. Endow me with undaunted courage to weather the storms of life and to scatter the clouds when they darken the horizon of life. When the barque of my soul, sailing the sea of life, glides not smoothly on the stream, but drifts upon the stormy billows of life and is on the brink of breaking under the tumult of life, thou, O Master Mariner, embolden me to steer it skillfully and patiently to the haven of safety.

When danger confronts me in life, strengthen me to face it bravely. Life is an uphill fight; enable me to fight it valiantly and win through it. When the burden of life weighs heavily upon me, strengthen me to bear the yoke patiently and ungrudgingly. Never unduly elated at triumph and never unduly depressed at failure, never unduly joyful when life smiles upon me and never unduly sorrowful when life frowns at me, help me, Ahura Mazda, ever to live my life with philosophic calm.

This page was last updated on Friday, February 11, 2005.