forEgo
“Stop blocking the sun,” said Diogenes to Alexander the Great.
The cherry on top of yesterday’s sundae was a short story I read before drifting into dreams. After a delicious day of presence—yoga underneath a wren nest, pulling weeds a plenty, a paddle around Phantom Lake, and an al fresco dinner at sunset, I was gifted another lesson on ego.
Diogenes the Cynic, who reminds me a little bit of the Jim Carey we see today—unabashedly himself—was asleep. Alexander approached the unkempt Greek philosopher and asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Stop blocking the sun,” came his reply.
He paid no reverence.
The story goes on….
Instead of taking offense, Alexander said, “If I were not Alexander, I would want to be Diogenes.”
Diogenes is reported to have carried a lighted lamp both day and night, searching for an honest man.
Is the story true?
Beats me.
Does is speak to you?