Fools rush in where angels fear to tread

No 569 of Living Life Series 1

'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.' is a quotation from the English poet Alexander Pope's An essay on criticism, 1709:

Such shameless Bards we have; and yet 'tis true,

There are as mad, abandon'd Criticks too.

The Bookful Blockhead, ignorantly read,

With Loads of Learned Lumber in his Head,

With his own Tongue still edifies his Ears,

And always List'ning to Himself appears.

All Books he reads, and all he reads assails,

From Dryden's Fables down to Durfey's Tales.

With him, most Authors steal their Works, or buy;

Garth did not write his own Dispensary.

Name a new Play, and he's the Poet's Friend,

Nay show'd his Faults - but when wou'd Poets mend?

No Place so Sacred from such Fops is barr'd,

Nor is Paul's Church more safe than Paul's Church-yard:

Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you dead;

For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.   

Proverbs 17:28 of the Christian Bible says thus, “even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” If we are not in the know, are not privy to the facts or have a full all round 360 degree view of the matter, the best action is no action.  

Don't talk, criticise or act for the sake of talking, criticising or action. This will not do in life, be it in religion or otherwise. Empty vessels make the most noise and fools rush in where angels fear to tread. 

They will surely fall at the edge of the cliff of an event in life due to rashness, lack of mindfulness and insight. They do not even see the next step in front of them. 

Those who know more stay clear of issues but those who know not or less are often too keen to rush in and take credit for the place or event. This is human nature isn't it? 

Human nature is best depicted by the story of Adam and Eve with Adam eating the forbidden fruit, the apple at the urging of Eve. This is despite being forewarned. Whether the story is true matters not but there is truth in the moral behind the story.

When any temple is yet to be built, many with faint hearts stay on the sidelines. They leave the faithful few elders to labor and to take the risks - to face the chopping board if any. But when the concrete building rises to be part of the landscape, they are the ones who fall to temptation, rush in, criticise and displace the elders to claim the place - often like insects coming to the flower for nectar as said by the lord saint Lord Bo Tien. 

The concrete building is just way too big a temptation to ignore or desist. It is many times more tempting than the apple in the story of Adam and Eve. The modern days Adams in a temple of a heavenly saint just want to take over the apple of their eyes which is the concrete building and take over ownership, control and glory all ready made for them.

They displace the man or two who toil for the building to rise from ashes to concrete to reach towards the sky. But in the temple of a lord saint, it ain't easy to be in the hot seats of mission and responsibility though for sure personal gain or nectar there will be, just by being in the hot seat of responsibility. But can they make it is the other story? 

The glory and name of initial years of being in hot seat will pass and what is left weighs heavily on the chest. Why on earth would they want the fame and name when they could not shoulder the mission of a lord saint - a mission so big and plain. Alas the burden they may have to carry on for long and it would be dreary. 

That is the problem for rushing in to take over when mission they know not and care little for. All they want are the credit, the name and the fame. They rush in where even angels fear to tread - where even those who know more fear to be. Fulfilling the mission of a temple is no easy feat but a must for those who rush in to take the hot seat. 

There is no choice but the choice they thrust on themselves by sitting in the hot seat. They end up holding and carrying the hot potato but potato will cool down for sure but the same cannot be said of mission for which they are ill-prepared to handle or to have.

Is this retribution or just desserts or is this good fate that places them in the hot seat? Ask them as they should know better than to replace the other men who built up the place. Hope they are no fools to rush in where angels fear to tread. 

The concrete building is just the beginning. The whole mission is still yet to be and to unfold. Mission is about people and doctrine to change lives of men for the better. Can they do it? Are they up to it?

This story, plight or dilemma is often replayed in many a temple or church of a saint. Pray that things will come to a good end. Such a good end will surely be even if fools want to rush in and make merry. But such men are no fools but may not be of much good. 

Luckily, the mission of a temple or church is by heaven and not by men. So why is there cause for worry?  Leave things be and Heaven will sort things out and all will be well. 

But blame not the flower for insects coming to it for nectar. Blame not the lord saint for men of opportunity to be seen and be heard in any temple of a saint. 

Let this be. Such men of opportunity know not what they do. They of all men need the guidance of God and saints though some may think that they are not worthy or deserving. 

What better place than in the temple of a saint? They are as deserving or even more deserving of correction than the somewhat angelic goody-two-shoes. 

This is the will of Heaven that such men rather than those who know more be let in to a temple. They are no fools but they do rush in like fools where those who are like angels by comparison fear to tread. The burden of responsibility is simply put far too great - way beyond what they can manage unless they par the mission down to nuts. 

But if indeed God and saints consider them good enough to be in a temple, is there the need to gloat, mourn and pour scorn on the matter? Let matters be. 

We have dealt at length on the proverb "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." It is however possible that "Angels rush in where fools fear to tread." 

This may exactly be what the angels of a lord saint may do for the mission of the saint when men fear to take up the mission because they choose to be fools - more so with men who want to control a temple but not do mission proper.  

Is this why the Mission is the Mission of Heaven and not of men or by men? Men will not tread and take up the mission but angels will rush in as they cannot depend on men. 

Lord Bo Tien says that the Mission to save souls through the respective religions is by awakening the good grasp of inner truth behind and common to all religions. This can be achieved by separating the centuries of add-ons, traditions, dogmas and history from the basic or inner truth. 

Fools who are weary of mission prefer to add on their own preferences and bury away further the inner or basic truth. They inadvertently further the anti-mission instead of the mission in the very name of the temple for the mission. 

They want to rewrite the mission or rather write off the mission. They act as though they can replace angels or are better than angels. That is the problem.

Do note that the mission for inner truth is in same line as the fundamentalist movement behind a religion but is more fundamental than that as it goes for the common fundamental of the fundamentals of religions. This of course is tongue twister to those who are new to the concept of inner truth behind religions. 

What is the inner truth or basic truth behind religions? Divinity or God is one and same behind religions and ultimate salvation has to do with having peace through purifying ourselves through how we live, think and act. Isn't this simple? Yes, it is but time consuming as much effort, persistence resourcefulness and resilience are needed.