Take What Fits
by: DrsBilandCherHolton |
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One summer the accomplished British violinist Peter Cropper was invited to Finland to perform at the prestigious Kuhmo Music Festival. In recognition for his outstanding music ability, the Royal Academy of Music in London offered him an extraordinary opportunity - he would be able to play a priceless 258-year-old Stradivarius.
It is well-known that Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy brought the art of violin-making to its highest pinnacle of perfection. Each instrument was made out of 80 pieces of specially selected pine, boxwood, and ebony. Then, by a secret process, unduplicated even today, 30 coats of a soft-textured varnish were applied.
Even today a Stradivarius produces wonderfully resonant notes, which intensify the farther they travel from the strings.
The evening of the performance, as Peter Cropper hurried onstage, the unimaginable happened. He tripped on an extension cord which had not been taped down and landed on the Stradivarius, breaking the neck of the instrument completely off.
Somehow, with a borrowed violin, Cropper got through the concert. Still in shock, he flew back to England. Far from blaming him the members of the Royal Academy empathized with him. But he was inconsolable.
A famous London violin dealer named Charles Beare offered to repair the Strad. The Academy thanked him but assured him that a broken Stradivarius would never be the same again. At Cropper's insistence the Academy relinquished and Beare started his work.
Two months later Beare informed the Academy and a surprised Cropper that he had completed the work. When the violin was presented to him Cropper stared at it, astounded, as the aproned craftsman showed them where the repairs had been made. Try as they might the distinguished Academy officials and Cropper could not locate the cracks.
But the proof would be in the pudding. How would the Stradivarius sound? Cropper picked it up, said a quick prayer, hesitated for a moment, and then began to play a concerto.
As each soaring note resonated through the shop, the spellbound group of music experts was astounded. The tone seemed even more pure than before.
The incredible repair job fell well outside the parameters of conventional wisdom. It didn't align with existing beliefs about the plausibility of Stradivarius repair.
Sometime later Peter Cropper led the Lindsay Quartet on an international tour. Night after night he played beautiful notes from the Stradivarius he once believed was ruined forever.
Its repair was made possible because the broken parts were placed in the hands of a master craftsman who brought his healing touch to bear.
What if Cropper had taken to heart the conventional wisdom that says, "Take what fits and leave the rest?" or said another way, "Take what resonates and leave the rest?" or in the case of a broken Stradivarius, "If it IS broken you can't fix it!" Messing with a Strad was considered irresponsible. Ludicrous! Even blasphemous!
That's how we feel about the New Thought phrase, "Take what resonates and leave the rest." It's ludicrous! It's even blasphemous! It's exactly the kind of thinking Charles Fillmore was referring to when he said, "I reserve the right to change my mind."
'Taking what fits and leaving the rest' is a status quo philosophy. It keeps us glued to the way things are. It praises convention. We may as well walk around holding a security blanket over our ear like Linus in the Peanuts cartoon.
Being unwilling to embrace something new is cartoonish! It keeps us in a RUT. And a 'rut' means 'rigid unchallenged thinking.' Many people have PhD's in 'rut management.' They champion the status quo. They GO along instead of GROW along.
Stepping out of comfort zones is what we are proposing. We invite you to turn 'existing' beliefs into 'exiting' beliefs when they become stale beliefs.
We are absolutely convinced that your health, wealth, and success are the result of heart-to-head resuscitation. It is your openness and receptivity to change and newness that will bring you immense happiness and joy.
* If you believe all lightning strikes go from cloud to ground - get over it!
* If you think the Dead Sea is the world's saltiest body of water - get over it!
* If you believe there are no incurable diseases - get over it!
* If you assume people's ability to levitate is only a magical trick - get over it!
* If you think you have to die to go to Heaven - get over it!
* If you believe we can't build a spiritual education center that can change the spiritual consciousness of the planet - get over it!
* If you think you can't make your dreams come true - (have audience say 'get over it!)
* If you believe you can't 'get over it' - get over it!
About the Author
Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.
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