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There are many places in the Osashizu where God the Parent says, "Do not hurry, do not hurry." This, however, is not necessarily a message for us to take our time in all matters. On the contrary, God the Parent is in extreme haste. Oyasama shortened Her term of life and withdrew from physical life to hasten world salvation and hasten the completion of the Service. Then what are we to make of these appeals that tell us, "Do not hurry"? We have instructions that can be summed up along the lines of: "If you force yourself and rush too much, you will exhaust yourself traveling a path of just one ri (four kilometers or 2.44 miles). But if you travel without rushing, you will be able to travel even a distance of ten ri in one day. Hurrying will make you late; a pace that is thought to be slow results in being early" (see Osashizu, April 16, 1901; and July 24, 1889). Further, we are also taught: "This path is the natural and spontaneous path. Because all things turn out the way they are meant to, there is no meaning in rushing ahead. Although this may lead you to think that it doesn't matter whether you move ahead or not, never think that this is the case. Regardless of whether you have the strength or not, resolve and make your wholehearted, utmost effort. If you do so, there will be no need for you to have even the slightest bit of worry, despite the distance of your journey" (see Osashizu, May 27, 1894). In the Osashizu, we read:I have instructed you until now over and over that you must not hurry, that you must not rush. If something cannot be completed this year, complete it next year. If the goal cannot be achieved next year, achieve it the following year. You must listen and discern this with care. This is the truth of accomplishing and achieving. Nothing comes to be when it is forced. It is the principle of nature to achieve a goal next year if it cannot be done this year. Osashizu, April 4, 1898 The words that follow this passage can be summed up as: "You most likely have an idea of how you wish to take care of the matter at hand. However, while you may be able to settle things for the time being, forcefully dealing with it as you see fit cannot amount to a lasting settlement. It is vital for you to fully convey the teachings and persuade everyone of the true spirit of the teachings. It is called natural to carry out matters after this spirit is settled. You must not be hasty at this time." The Directions here indicate that, in our haste to bring about tangible results, we must not neglect to make efforts to settle the true spirit behind of the teachings in the minds of all involved. We must rush tasks on this path of single-hearted salvation. However, we must not become flustered and lose sight of our footing in a quest for results. This is a path that does not allow for shortcuts or any disguising of our shortcomings. It is important to rush without rushing along the path of sincerity and move forward one step at a time. |
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