House on fire
A metaphor for urgent necessity
"If the house you were living in were on fire, everyone would forget their personal reasons for being here and pitch in and do what is necessary. This situation would put you in a different state of mind. And you know, when these kinds of things happen, people sometimes respond without fear. But after it is all over, they become very afraid. 'Oh, my God! What could have happened! Oh, I just barely escaped!' But in the moment, they were without fear."[1]
"If the house were on fire, who would be sitting around worrying about when they will find a relationship? Something now is more important."[1]
"If the house were on fire, everyone would jump into high gear. Who cares if you wanted a soul mate? House on fire! My God! Who cares if you wanted more pay for your job? House on fire! Who cares if you wanted a body that never aches? House on fire! Everyone goes into gear."[2]
A metaphor prescribing direct and effective action
"It is like the house on fire. Well, you do not need to study the problem when it is happening. You just need to prepare to put the fire out. And there is a very great fire in the world today. It is slowly burning, but it is gaining strength. And every day human ignorance, human denial, human superstition, human conflict and human competition add fuel to this fire, giving it strength, making it hotter and more difficult to extinguish."[3]
"It takes very strong medicine to wake someone who will not awaken with a gentle prodding. They did not hear the alarm go off an hour ago. They are too involved in their dreams. What does it take to wake someone up when the house is on fire? You use a bucket of cold water if nothing else will work because you must arouse them. They are dreaming on, and the house is on fire. And they treat your awakening them as a great intrusion until they realize the seriousness of the situation. Then they look at you and they say, 'I owe you my life!'" [4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 25: Escaping Fear
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 32: Achievement
- ↑ A New Way Forward for Humanity (December 31, 2006)
- ↑ Living The Way of Knowledge, Chapter 9: Sharing The Way of Knowledge With Others
See also
Further study
- Living The Way of Knowledge, Chapter 9: Sharing The Way of Knowledge With Others