The Bartender's Wisdom

The wisdom of a bartender says you can not heal in the same environment where you have felt injured. But if this wisdom came with a glass of beer, then how would you grasp it? You'd return to the very spot where you let loose, in front of the bartender who offered you counsel after hearing your story. Then, you'd circle back to the exact place that caused you pain, stuck in a perpetual loop of emotional suffering and subconscious confusion.

What an irony! Going back to the origins of both wisdom and pain, as if trapped in a cycle that offers enlightenment yet ensures suffering.

When a valuable life lesson arrives at an inappropriate moment, you might miss it, misunderstand it, or even misinterpret it. You then blame life's circumstances or the era you live in rather than your choices of people and places.

In your eyes, your intentions can't be questioned; you don't make mistakes—at least, that's what you tell yourself.

The bartender heard you crying not just once but many times. He tried to advise you not to return to the place that hurt you, expressing his human concern and empathy. At the same time, he served you glasses of beer, and in return, you tipped him—contributions that put food on his table.

So, he fulfilled both his human instincts and his financial needs. He went home and slept well while you returned to the same setting that had harmed you. The next day, you both met again, and the cycle resumed.

Who is to blame here? The answer lies solely in your choices.

Heed the bartender's wisdom: 'You cannot heal your soul in the same place where it got hurt.' Pay the bartender for the advice, not for the beer, and then leave the bar. Walk away from the place that caused you pain, and choose a different path that leads to life.

Dana Obeid