[Rumi] Gamble Everything for Love
Cover of The Essential Rumi
I knew there was a good reason that I was always a gambler! Rumi sums it up nicely in this poem. This is what I have always sought after, and continue to hold up to my own reflection in the mirror. The day that I feel I am not living this way is the day I will “leave this gathering.”
How do these verses hit you?
***
ON GAMBLING
To a frog that’s never left his pond the ocean seems like a gamble.
Look what he’s giving up: security, mastery of his world, recognition!
The ocean frog just shakes his head. “I can’t really explain what it’s like where I live, but someday I’ll take you there.”
***
If you want what visible reality can give, you’re an employee.
If you want the unseen world, you’re not living your truth.
Both wishes are foolish, but you’ll be forgiven for forgetting
that what you really want is love’s confusing joy.
***
Gamble everything for love, if you’re a true human being.
If not, leave this gathering.
Half-heartedness doesn’t reach into majesty. You set out to find God,
but then you keep stopping for long periods at mean-spirited roadhouses.
March Fourth: Spiritual Reflections, Life Philosophy, Happiness, Motivation and Inspiration 
Hey Arman,
I serendipitiously came across this aspect of your life that I wish I had found out sooner. I recently read “Forty Rules of Love” by Elif Shafak and although I had read Rumi’s poetry before, it was in the light of this book that I came to understand the deeper meaning of his poetry. The verses that you put up here resonate with my current transitions in life and all I can say is that although I have not fully experienced the true power of love, I am in awe. Here is a quote that I would like to share with you
“Love cannot be explained,
It can only experienced.
Love cannot be explained,
Yet it explains all.” (Rumi)
I hope someday we can talk in more details about our own spiritual paths.
Thanks for checking in Nafis. Like you, I am in awe, and continuous search, having found myself in some profound ways, and still looking deeper within…deeper into the mystery. That is the beauty of this life – as complex as it may be, it is nothing but an opportunity to experience this Love more fully.