Sleeping in storms...
Published: 04:01 PM,Jan 13,2025 | EDITED : 08:01 PM,Jan 13,2025
The global Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting economic collapse reshaped our lives in ways we could never have predicted.
The years 2020-2024 are ones that many of us will remember for a lifetime - years that changed everything. The global Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting economic collapse reshaped our lives in ways we could never have predicted. They were years filled with uncertainty, fear, and isolation, but they also sparked moments of profound reflection and transformation. For me personally, these years were marked by many accolades, but also by many challenges — both personal and professional — all of which held glimpses of silver linings.
In the midst of these struggles, I found myself reflecting on a powerful lesson I had learned years ago from Mitch Albom’s book Have a Little Faith: A True Story (2009). The lesson about 'sleeping in storms' stayed vivid in my mind as the world grappled with the chaos of 2020-2024. The story tells of a wealthy landowner who hires a man with only one qualification — his ability to “sleep in storms.”
The man’s calmness and poise in the face of danger become the key to survival, offering a powerful metaphor for navigating life’s most challenging times. The calmness is tested a few weeks later when a mighty storm hits. The landowner gets up in a panic, while the hired man remains undisturbed.
The owner checks the animals, the wheat bales, the grain. The animals are safe; the wheat, secure; the grain, dry. Everything is safe and secure. In that moment, he realises the true meaning of the phrase: The man who can sleep in a storm is someone who is well-prepared and trusts that all will be well, even when the world around them is chaotic.
The moral of the story is this: If you speak the truth, practice compassion — for yourself and others — honour and love those who are close to you, and act in alignment with your deepest faith and values while respecting the differences in others, then when it is time for you to face challenges (or when it is time to leave the world), you will have no regrets, no remorse, and no unfinished business.
This is the essence of living a life without fear, with courage and integrity, knowing you have done your best to navigate the complexities of existence in a way that brings peace to your heart and those around you. It means living authentically, standing firm in your convictions, but also remaining open to growth and understanding. The life you lead, when guided by these principles, will be one where the weight of the world’s challenges feels lighter because you are grounded in what truly matters.
That is my wish for all of you in 2025: a year where you embrace the path of righteousness — not in the sense of perfection, but in the sense of intentionality and mindful action. A year full of the right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration - the principles of the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhist teachings, which, when practiced, lead to the cessation of suffering. These eight components are not simply a set of ideals - they are practical tools that, when woven into the fabric of daily life, allow us to rise above suffering and find balance amidst chaos.
So, as you move forward into 2025, I hope you do so with the confidence that, by living in accordance with these principles, you will be equipped to face any storm that may come your way. When you embrace this path, you can meet life’s challenges with calm and clarity, knowing that you are grounded in the values that will sustain you. And when the inevitable storms hit, just like me, you too will find peace and stillness, able to sleep through them, knowing that you are prepared — no matter what comes.
In the midst of these struggles, I found myself reflecting on a powerful lesson I had learned years ago from Mitch Albom’s book Have a Little Faith: A True Story (2009). The lesson about 'sleeping in storms' stayed vivid in my mind as the world grappled with the chaos of 2020-2024. The story tells of a wealthy landowner who hires a man with only one qualification — his ability to “sleep in storms.”
The man’s calmness and poise in the face of danger become the key to survival, offering a powerful metaphor for navigating life’s most challenging times. The calmness is tested a few weeks later when a mighty storm hits. The landowner gets up in a panic, while the hired man remains undisturbed.
The owner checks the animals, the wheat bales, the grain. The animals are safe; the wheat, secure; the grain, dry. Everything is safe and secure. In that moment, he realises the true meaning of the phrase: The man who can sleep in a storm is someone who is well-prepared and trusts that all will be well, even when the world around them is chaotic.
The moral of the story is this: If you speak the truth, practice compassion — for yourself and others — honour and love those who are close to you, and act in alignment with your deepest faith and values while respecting the differences in others, then when it is time for you to face challenges (or when it is time to leave the world), you will have no regrets, no remorse, and no unfinished business.
This is the essence of living a life without fear, with courage and integrity, knowing you have done your best to navigate the complexities of existence in a way that brings peace to your heart and those around you. It means living authentically, standing firm in your convictions, but also remaining open to growth and understanding. The life you lead, when guided by these principles, will be one where the weight of the world’s challenges feels lighter because you are grounded in what truly matters.
That is my wish for all of you in 2025: a year where you embrace the path of righteousness — not in the sense of perfection, but in the sense of intentionality and mindful action. A year full of the right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration - the principles of the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhist teachings, which, when practiced, lead to the cessation of suffering. These eight components are not simply a set of ideals - they are practical tools that, when woven into the fabric of daily life, allow us to rise above suffering and find balance amidst chaos.
So, as you move forward into 2025, I hope you do so with the confidence that, by living in accordance with these principles, you will be equipped to face any storm that may come your way. When you embrace this path, you can meet life’s challenges with calm and clarity, knowing that you are grounded in the values that will sustain you. And when the inevitable storms hit, just like me, you too will find peace and stillness, able to sleep through them, knowing that you are prepared — no matter what comes.