ACADEMICS.web.id – Do not be swept away by the emotions from the bitter experiences you go through. Try to train yourself to listen to the cries of your wounds. Slowly learn to understand the messages carried by sadness and grief. Listen to these messages and then seize the wisdom that is surely hidden within.
In one of his poetic verses, Jalaluddin Rumi writes:
“Let the lover be disgraced, insane, distracted,
someone sober will worry about things going badly,
let the lover be.”
Here, Rumi wants to convey that when someone truly loves, drowning in deep love, they will not care about the opinions of others. They won’t care about being considered disgraceful, insane, distracted, or anything else negative. They simply won’t care.
Although the context of Rumi’s poem is divine love, love for Allah, the love for a partner can sometimes also bring someone to this level of “not caring.” For normal people, being called crazy, confused, or insane is something undesirable. According to Rumi, only a true lover is willing to be labeled with such negative perceptions because normal people cannot bear it. For the lover, Rumi asserts, turmoil, anxiety, and heartbreak are commonplace. These things do not trouble them at all because they feel no loss or lack from their love.
The above illustration describes a condition where if someone can achieve it, they will be happy. This is what is meant by the ability to enjoy suffering.
Besides being a philosopher and poet, Jalaluddin Rumi is also known for his whirling dance, the Dervishes Whirling (Whirling Dervishes). Regarding this whirling dance, Rumi says:
“Dance when you’re broken open. Dance if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood, and dance when you’re perfectly free.”
Through this verse, Rumi depicts how arduous the path of love is. One will be hurt repeatedly while loving. But keep dancing, dancing, and dancing. Even in the midst of “battle.” Dance in the pool of blood because ultimately, when able to enjoy all the suffering, the lover will feel boundless freedom.
Indeed, this is Rumi’s personal experience. The famous Whirling Dervishes dance was first performed by Rumi when he was plunged into deep sorrow following the death of his teacher, Sheikh Shamsuddin Tabriz. At that time, he was in a blacksmith’s workshop filled with the sound of hammering iron. The noisy sounds seemed to accompany his grief. Without realizing it, his body moved on its own, dancing and whirling endlessly. This is what he called moving (dancing) in sadness. The sadness that enveloped his soul was brought to dance and lifted up to face Allah. Finally, he found enjoyment in his suffering.
By understanding the messages contained in Rumi’s works, we are invited not only to accept suffering but also to find meaning and happiness within it. Enjoying suffering does not mean giving up but learning to find beauty in every wound and using it as strength to keep moving forward.@
