Shlama (ܫܠܡܐ)

These are the words I taught concerning Harmony, for Harmony is the song of creation, and all things are notes within it. Without Harmony, love turns to possession, wisdom to pride, respect to fear, honesty to cruelty, and truth to division. But with Harmony, all becomes whole, and peace flows as a river.

The world is one body, and you are its members. When one part suffers, the whole feels pain; when one part rejoices, the whole is lifted up. Therefore seek Harmony, that the body may be sound.

“Teacher, what is Harmony? Is it silence, where no voice is heard?”

Harmony is not silence, but many voices joined. It is not the crushing of difference, but the weaving of difference into one song. Harmony is balance, not sameness; unity, not uniformity.

Harmony is the tree whose roots drink water, whose branches bear fruit, whose leaves give shade, whose trunk gives shelter. Each part is not the same, yet each belongs.

There once was a village where each played a different instrument. The drummer beat alone, the flute played alone, the harp sang alone. Each was skilled, yet the sound was confusion. Then they gathered, listening one to another, and each played their part together. The sound became music, and all who heard were filled with joy.

So it is with Harmony: each has their part, and when joined, the song is whole.

Why seek Harmony? Because without it, the world is torn. Nations rise against nations, neighbors against neighbors, and even a man against himself. Division multiplies sorrow, but Harmony multiplies joy.

Why seek Harmony? Because creation itself is bound in it. The rivers flow to the sea, the winds circle the earth, the stars dance in their courses. Each has its place, and together they form the whole.

Why seek Harmony? Because the Breath of Truth is not given to one alone but to all. To live without Harmony is to tear at the fabric of the Holy One’s work.

There once was a farmer who sowed seed in his field. Some fell among thorns, some upon rocks, some upon rich soil. Each plot was part of his land, but only when he tended all did the harvest abound.

So it is with Harmony: if you neglect one part, the whole will suffer.

“Teacher, how shall we live in Harmony?”

Live gently with the earth, for it is your dwelling. Do not strip it bare, but let it rest, as you also rest. Take what you need, but not what destroys. Plant where you have taken, mend where you have broken.

Live gently with creatures, for they are your companions. Do not kill for sport, nor torment for pleasure. Let the bird have its sky, the fish its water, the beast its field.

Live gently with people, for they are your kin. Do not say, “This one is mine, that one is not.” Each carries the same Breath, though the faces are many. Listen more than you speak, give more than you take, forgive more than you are forgiven.

I once saw two men pulling a cart in opposite directions. One pulled east, the other west, and the cart moved nowhere. Then they spoke together, turned their shoulders in the same way, and the cart rolled easily.

So it is with Harmony: if you pull against one another, nothing is gained; if you walk together, the burden is light.

There once was a garden with many plants. The tall overshadowed the small, and the small withered. The gardener trimmed the tall and lifted the small, and the garden flourished.

So it is with Harmony: give space to each, and all will thrive.

When shall you seek Harmony? Always, for every breath is bound to another.

Seek Harmony in your family, that peace may dwell in your house. Seek Harmony in your work, that joy may dwell in your labor. Seek Harmony in your village, that unity may dwell in your people.

Seek Harmony in times of plenty, lest greed divide you. Seek Harmony in times of want, lest fear consume you. Seek Harmony in times of difference, lest pride harden you. Seek Harmony even with your enemy, lest hatred destroy you both.

“Teacher, what if others will not live in Harmony with us?”

Walk in Harmony yourself, and you will not stumble. For the disharmony of another need not bind your soul. The river flows whether the stone resists or not. The song continues whether one note falters or not.

There once was a dove that built its nest in the eaves of a house. The children threw stones, but the dove kept building. In time, the children grew weary, and the nest remained.

So it is with Harmony: keep building it, even when opposed, and in time it will stand.

Therefore I tell you:

Seek Harmony, for it is the song of creation.

This is what Harmony is: many joined as one.

This is why Harmony matters: it prevents division and multiplies joy.

This is how Harmony is lived: in gentleness, in balance, in listening.

This is when Harmony is sought: always, but most of all in division.

Walk in Harmony, and you will walk in Truth.