A Stoic lesson from the birds of Abraham

I’m thankful to Ben Aldridge for his fine article that reminds and summarizes *Negative Visualization*, an exercise of the Stoic philosophers. While reading the article early hours of day, waiting for the sunrise, I was contemplating on how Rumi narrates birds as a metaphor for living. By following the wing sounds of the bird symbolism, I came across the story of ‘Abraham and his birds’ as narrated in different versions in the holy scriptures. In its final form, the story is described in Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2), Verse 260 of the Quran as follows:

“When Abraham said, ‘My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.’ [God] said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He said, ‘Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied.’ [God] said, ‘Take four birds and commit them to yourself. Then place each of them on a hill; then call them — they will come [flying] to you in haste. And know that God is Exalted in Might and Wise.’”

The story, called as ‘kıssa’ in sufi terminology, has multi-layered and multi-dimensional metaphorical implications. What caught my interest in this article is the emotion Abraham might have experienced when he released the tamed birds after putting in considerable effort to domesticate them. He might lose all of them. It is possible that they might not come back. This possibility induces the negative visualization, firstly in Abraham, then in all of us, that have some kind of “tamed birds.” As Ben Aldridge puts it: “By focusing on what it would feel like for important things/people to be taken away from us, we remind ourselves how lucky we are.” The tamed birds of Abraham represent “important things/people” that we are afraid of losing.

Senai Demirci’s archive

When we empathize with the story, we begin to sense the difference between the compulsory return of the domesticated birds within a confined space and the voluntary return of the free birds outside. The domesticated birds are bound to return in a closed environment; it is obligatory. They have no other choice but Abraham. So, their loyalty to Abraham is not tested, therefore it’s a dead loyalty.

But what if they are set free? If they return then, it becomes a voluntary return. In the first case, in compulsory return, their loyalty is dead, while in the second case, in voluntary return, it turns into a living loyalty. Every human who leaves their tamed birds on distant hills and waits for their return is destined to experience this cold shivering during that helpless waiting. This is how Abraham and we altogether see that God gives life to the dead.

We know that transformation in a person often begins with a sense of loss. Our regained hopes, like lively birds taking flight, follow our losses. The frustrations we experience through our losses becomes the painful seed of a resurrection.

I confess that most of my transformations in my life have occurred through my losses. Yes, a person’s change passes through pain, causes pain. During a serious loss I usually gain the hope for a new beginning: “Now a stone on the wall has moved. The journey has begun. The sea is stirred. The waves crash onto the shore. The hidden path to poetry has opened. The threshold of life has been stepped on!” I say.

There is no painless path to transformation and change. A person will inevitably knock on the door of sorrow, and inevitably step on the threshold of agony. Sadness will inevitably yellow its joyful leaves.

A person experiencing loss initiates his/her transformation. One who fears losing cannot change; he/she freezes his/her life. As he thickens his shell, he closes himself to transformation; he doesn’t allow any wind to touch his core.

Take away note:

The essence of the story and the metaphor lies in the courage to release our tamed birds. The tamed birds in the story symbolize our old habits and comfort zones that we cling to for a sense of security. Letting go of these familiar patterns and stepping into the unknown is like setting the birds free. Only when we release the old and familiar can we give birth to new and authentic ways of living. Letting go of old habits, comfort zones, and familiar patterns can be challenging and even scary. It requires the bravery to step into the unknown, to face uncertainty, and to embrace change. However, it is through this act of courage that we can open ourselves up to new possibilities, personal growth, and a more fulfilling life.