Once, when the entire Hasid order was sitting together in brotherhood, rabbi Israel joined them with his pipe in hand. Because he was so friendly, they asked him, “Tell us, dear rabbi, how should we serve God?” The rabbi was taken aback by the question and said, "How should I know?" But then he told them the following story:
The king had two friends, and both were convicted of a crime. Out of love for his friends, the king wanted to show mercy to them, but he could not set them free, for even a king's will could not be above the law. So he issued the following edict: A rope would be stretched over a deep abyss and these two men would walk on the rope, one after the other. Whoever could reach the other shore, his life would be spared. The king's order was carried out, and the first of his friends arrived safely on the opposite shore. The other, still standing in the same spot, called out to him: “Tell me, my friend, how did you manage to get across?” The first passer-by called back, “I know nothing but this: Whenever I felt like I was going to fall on one side, I fell on the other side.”
Life is not a technology, a science; life is an art—we might even call it an instinct. You must feel it. You have to be like the acrobats who keep the balance on a tightrope. The rabbi says to his disciples, Are you asking how you can serve God?” With this story, he pointed to the answer to the question: stay in the middle. Do not fall into too much debauchery, nor withdraw from life. Do not stay too long in the world, nor run away from it. Keep balancing. When you feel too indulgent, take a little seclusion, and when you feel too withdrawn, slide into some more debauchery. Always keep the middle ground. And that's how you can serve God. If you stay in balance, you serve God; If you stay in balance you can reach God, and he can reach you.
Osho – “The Man Who Loved Seagulls”
