That should be the attitude towards help
That is the only mistake one has to avoid -- the only mistake, that a man can commit in life -- and that is: becoming afraid of committing mistakes. Then you never grow, then you never go anywhere, then you never do anything. Then by and by you will slip into dullness and deadness. You will become stuck, stagnant. Commit mistakes. What is wrong in committing mistakes? Just remember one thing: don't commit the same mistake again. Commit new mistakes every day. Be inventive. Innovate. A man only learns when he commits many, many mistakes. Go astray as far as you can go. Tao is everywhere. Where can you go? And the further astray you go, the deeper is your understanding of coming home; and when you come home, you understand what you were missing.
The help, the very desire to be helped, is a desire to continue as you are. You want some props, some supports. You want consolation, comfort. Henry Thoreau once observed that if he knew for certain that a man was on his way to see him with the single purpose of trying to help him, he would run for his life. That should be the attitude towards helpers. If somebody is coming to help you, escape! Your life is in danger. Avoid the do-gooders, the so-called saints and mahatmas. All help goes to help the old. All help keeps the old surviving; it nourishes it. You don't want resurrection. You want help. You don't want death, you don't want a new life. When you are utterly helpless, God's help becomes available. Only God can help. And all other help is a barrier to God's help.
One beautiful story.... Krishna has just sat down to take his lunch and in the middle of the lunch he rushes towards the door, and his wife, Rukamani, says, "Where are you going?" But he is in such a hurry that he doesn't answer. At the door he suddenly stops, then comes back slowly, a little sad, sits back, starts eating. Rukamani asks, "What is the matter? What happened? Where were you going so suddenly, as if there was some emergency? And now suddenly you turn back from the door and you are sad. What happened?"
Krishna says, "One of my lovers, one of my devotees, is passing through a capital and people are throwing stones at him and blood is flowing from his head and he has wounds, but he remains utterly helpless -- not a condemnatory word on his lips, not even in his mind. His surrender is total. I had to rush to help him. He was so helpless!"
Then Rukamani is even more surprised. "Then why did you come back?"
Krishna says, "By the time I reached the door, he had taken a stone in his own hand. Now he is ready to answer himself. Now I am not needed. Now he is no more helpless."
Remember, all human help becomes a barrier to divine help. Don't ask for help. [img]http://www.on-koh-tao.com/images/girl-on-koh-tao-beach.jpg [img]