Wheatley - Perseverance

PERSEVERANCE COVER ART - ASANTE SALAAM: Pressed flower petals, layers of packing tissue paper, charcoal, pencil, ink, the inside of a flattened cardboard box, and adhesive have been melded into this peaceful mixed media drawing. Repurposed materials collected in San Diego, Salaams post-Katrina home, carry energy from previous use, while being reincarnated into a new creation. This untitled piece of transparent layers was formed through a meditative process incorporating visioning, sunlight, prayer, affirmations, fresh finger canyon breezes, and burgeoning faith.

PAINTINGS BY ASANTE SALAAM

CALLIGRAPHY BY BARBARA BASH

Perseverance

Copyright 2010 by Margaret J. WheatleyAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the priorwritten permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotationsembodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permittedby copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

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First Edition

Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-60509-820-3

PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-854-8

IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-855-5

2010-1

For Free Floaters

I stand among you as one who

offers a small message of hope...

there are always people who dare

to seek on the margin of society,

who are not dependent

on social acceptance,

not dependent on social routine,

and prefer a kind of free-floating

existence under a state of risk.

Thomas Merton
Catholic monk, writer, activist

ORAIBI, ARIZONA JUNE 8, 2000

TO MY FELLOW SWIMMERS:

Here is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift that there are those

who will be afraid, who will try

to hold on to the shore.
They are being torn apart and
will suffer greatly.

Know that the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore.
Push off into the middle of the river,
and keep our heads above water.

And I say see who is there with you
and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally,
least of all ourselves,
for the moment we do,
our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.
Banish the word struggle from your attitude
and vocabulary

All that we do now must be done
in a sacred manner and in celebration.
For we are the ones we have been waiting for.

How is it that some people devote their lives to a cause, to a person, to a place?

And how is it that even in the midst of failures, betrayals, reversals, they can still remain focused and dedicated to their cause?

What enables a person to stay, to not be dissuaded, to not lose focus? How do people not become overwhelmed, or succumb to exhaustion and despair?

How do such people sustain themselves over long periods of time?

How do they preserve their health and well-being?

How do they preserve their faith?

I want to be one who perseveres, so these are real questions for me. I have been out in the world with these questions for many years now and met many people who have persevered through circumstances I hope never to encounter. I am grateful for all that I have learned from themthey answered many of my questions.

Of course there are many answers available. Here are just a few I discovered and found to be relevant in my own experience.

May the questions stay alive in your heart, and may these few answers serve you well so that you too may be one who perseveres.

Meg Wheatley

It is not necessary to hope in order to undertake, nor to succeed in order to persevere.

Charles the Bold
Duke of Burgundy

The word perseverance in Latin means, one who sees through to the end, one who doesnt yield. In English, it describes how we maintain our activity in spite of difficulties. Tenacity, steadfastness, persistence, doggednessthese are all common synonyms.

In Chinese, the character for perseverance is often the same as the one used for patience.

Human experience is the story of perseverance. Throughout space and time, humans have always persevered. We wouldnt be here without them.

Think of all the people you knowfamily, friends, strangerswho have just kept going, who didnt yield, who were tenacious, steadfast, patient.

How would you describe them? What were some of their traits? Their capacities? What was it like to be around them, to listen to their stories?

At the end of their lives, how were they?

Angry? Contented? Cynical? Peaceful?

What do their lives offer you as lessons on how to persevere?

What do we all need to learn from them now?

Here is the Chinese character for perseverance.
It is a knife poised over a heart.

Written in the ancient seal style

TO MY FELLOW SWIMMERS:

Here is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift that there are those
who will be afraid, who will try
to hold on to the shore.

They are being torn apart and
will suffer greatly.

Im making my shoulders strong
for the young to stand upon,
stepping lightly on the backs of those
who hold me up.

Its a chain of life unending,
ever new and ever bending,