The Patchwork Quilt
This is the story about the Quilt of Life.
In the old days, people all over the world were taking care of the
beautiful patchwork quilt which gave life to everyone on Mother Earth. It was a gigantic quilt and they couldn´t see the people working with the quilt on the other side. But it didn´t matter. Everyone trusted each other, everyone knew that each single person would do the best they could to make the quilt look wonderful.
Each person was the caretaker of one particular patch. The patches were all different because that is how a patchwork quilt is made. The patches had different colours, different patterns, different designs. But there was no envy because the patch makers knew that once all the patches were connected, they would become the beautiful Quilt of Life.
To put the patches together they used three special stitches. The stitches were called Respect, Humbleness and Responsibility.
One day, the white people working on the right side of the quilt got lazy.
They realized the job could be done quicker if they used machines. So they started building factories and they were so satisfied with their job, they went over to the left side and the top side and the bottom side. And they told all the people working there that they should also use machines.
The Native people, working on all different sides, said they didn´t want machines. Everyone knew that you had to put your heart and soul into the patches. A machine didn´t have a soul. And also, the machines made everything look the same.
The white people got mad. Why would all the others slow the process down, when they knew a better way of doing it? They could make the patchwork quilt so much faster and also, they wouldn´t have to work so hard. The white people on the right side went over to the Native people on the left side and threatened them. They said: “You have to use machines so that you can keep up with us. If you don´t use machines, we will stop you from making patches and we will kill you so that we, ourselves, can replace you and build our own factories!"
The indigenous people on the left side got scared. If this happened, the patchwork quilt would fall apart and what would then happen to the world?
They tried to make patches in secret to save the quilt. After a while, when white people realized the people on the other side of the quilt wouldn´t use machines even if they were threatened, they gave up trying to convince them. They thought that the people on the left side were slow and stupid and ignorant.
After having used their machines for several years, some white people on the right side looked at the factorymade patches and realized they looked pretty dull. They all had the same patterns and colours, it sure didn´t look like a patchwork quilt anymore, and they didn´t sparkle the way the patches of the indigenous people did. Actually, the whole quilt looked really bad. Some of the white people got worried. Maybe the factories were not that good after all? Maybe they should go back to the old ways? The elderly who used to make patches by hand were all dead. So the white people went over to the left side and said to the Native people there: “You have to show us how to make patches! Our side looks horrible and we can´t remember how to make them the way it used to be!�?/FONT>
The Native people who had kept their knowledge and their patterns intact, knew that they couldn´t teach them how to make patches. They knew the purpose with the patchwork quilt was that all patches should be different. “You have to find your own pattern!�?they said. “We must make all the patches different just like our ancestors did! If it looks the same it will no longer be the Quilt of Life.�?/FONT>
The white people got upset. First the indigenous people didn´t want to use machines. And now they wouldn´t teach them how to NOT use the machines!
Some white people got really angry. They tore up the left side where the Natives had made such lovely and perfect patches. They tried to take patches with them to the other side. Some others, being less forceful, were trying to imitate the patches on the left side. None of them understood what the indigenous people meant when they said that there were special patches for the left side and other special patches for the right side.
The Native people were crying. The beautiful quilt was torn to pieces.
There were big holes everywhere and they knew that if they couldn´t mend it it would be devastating for the whole world. They worked so hard to mend it and to at least save the left side of the quilt. Day and night they tried. And they did everything they could to save the precious patchwork quilt.
Now, the white people went back to the right side and desperately tried to fit the pieces they had stolen together. But they wouldn´t fit. Then they tried with the patches they had copied. But they didn´t fit either. So again they went over to the left side and said to the indigenous people:
“It looks really terrible on our side of the quilt! You HAVE to help us!�?The indigenous people were so busy mending the quilt and since they were worried that the white people would make new holes, they said: “Go away! We cannot help you! Leave us alone!�?/FONT>
The white people tried yet again with all the strange-looking patches. They tried to connect them to the rest of the quilt but it didn´t work. They got so mad and the harder they tore and twisted and turned the patches, the more they broke the rest of the quilt. The people on the other side cried:
“Stop! Stop! Please leave it alone!�?/FONT>
“But we can´t connect the pieces!�?the white people shouted back. “How do we put our patches together with the rest of the quilt?�?/FONT>
The indigenous people looked at each other, looked at the torn quilt and shook their heads. They saw the white people jerking and tearing and using force to mend the quilt. And they knew that all it took was three stitches �?respect, modesty and responsibility.
But white people had forgotten how to make stitches.
On all sides there were people with closed hearts looking at the
patch-makers. They did not understand the beauty of the quilt but they did understand the desperation of white people and they realized they could benefit from this. So they made some cheap copies of all the patches and they brought these to the white people on the right side. "Here!" they said and opened the big black bag with lots of patches. "We have patches from all sides of the quilt. You can pick and match. And we also have super-glue for sale. This is the only way for you to connect the patches!"
White people loved everything that was quick. And they appreciated not having to work hard. So they spent lots of money and bought the glue and the different patches. The patch-seller quickly became a hero! But there were some white people who were sceptical. They didn´t believe in using glue to make patch work quilts. And wasn´t the very making of the patches something you did with your heart and soul, not with your purse? They tried to warn the others but they did not want to listen. They didn´t even listen when the colour of the copied patches came off. Or when they were falling apart. They had spent so much money on these patches! All they did was to put more and more glue on them, making the quilt look worse than ever. Some of them noticed something was wrong. So they called for the patch-seller. They called and called. But he was gone. He had taken his big black bag and travelled all the way to the other side of the quilt. He knew
his glue didn´t work and he knew the colour would come off the cheap
copies. And so he wanted to sell as many patches as he could before people found out.
The sceptical white people were looking at the torn patches with tears in their eyes, realizing that what they did was wrong. They had memories of a beautiful patchwork quilt and it broke their hearts to see how torn and dirty this Quilt of Life had become.
And so they went with respect to the left side, they said with tears in
their eyes: “We don´t know how to do this. Our knowledge is lost. We want the whole quilt to look as beautiful as when our ancestors made it. We know that we must work together. We can no longer show envy or anger or disrespect. We have done a lot of things wrong in the past and we apologize for this. Your patches are so beautiful. We will admire them from the other side, but we know they are not for us to have. Instead we have to make our own patches, we have to make them beautiful in our own way and we must start from the beginning. Is there any way you can help us get started for the sake of the quilt? We will listen to you with open hearts.�?/FONT>
An old aboriginal man stopped sewing and looked up. “You have come with respect and humbleness!�?he said. “And you have shown a great
responsibility because you care for the whole patchwork quilt, not only your side. You know about the stitches because the knowledge has survived in you and that´s why you´re here. You understand the way your ancestors made them. So let me tell you something. A quilt was often made by poor people. Some of the patches had lots of patterns, some had none. Some were blue, some green, some yellow. Some of the patches looked very simple and plain. But when everything was put together, and ONLY then, the beautiful Quilt of Life came alive. You have been trying for perfection and similarity instead of simplicity, diversity and the beauty of joining everything together. Your machines couldn´t put life into the patches and so your patches looked dead and gloomy. Now, when you start again, you must trust your own heart. Do not look at anyone else. Reach inside yourself for answers. Make your patches simple. Because it is in the stitches the magic lies, not in complexity! No matter how beautiful your patches look, if the
stitches are not there, the quilt will never again be mended.
So he reached out his hand and the white people took it with joy in their hearts and said they´d bring the knowledge back home. They would tell the workers on the right side to stop looking for perfect patches but instead start practicing the stitches.
And so it was done. The white people had to start from the beginning.
They made very simple patches, sometimes just with one single colour. But everyone could join in and noone was envyous of the intriguing patterns being made on the other side. The people who knew the magic of the stitches showed the others how to do them. When the patches finally were joined together with the rest of the quilt, the patches that before seemed so plain suddenly contributed to the most wonderful pattern they had ever seen! All of a sudden they were glowing and shining. And the people were stunned because of the beauty, not only on the right side but all over the quilt. The indigenous people were so happy. Now when their side was left alone they had time to mend all the holes. And yet again, after hundreds of years, they could see their beautiful quilt come alive! After that day all the people swore that they would never again forget the stitches and their love for the quilt would never again get lost!
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So, remember this: Mother Earth is our quilt. We all have our own patch to take care of and we all do it in different ways. Trying to immitate or steal Native American ceremonies will not heal Mother Earth, it will just injure her. Because just like all patches must be different and some patches fit on the right side, some fit on the left side, all ceremonies are based on the place they originate from. You cannot move them. When you do, you make big holes in the Quilt of Life. Your ancestors knew how to make these ceremonies and how to take care of the place where you live. If the knowledge is gone, you must start again. You must look for simplicity because that is how a quilt is made. All it takes to make a patch is to go to a place out in the nature, a place which is calling you. If you use your heart, you will know what place it is. It will find you. You are the caretaker of this place. Stay there for a while, say a prayer to the lake, the tree, the mountain, ask the nature what it needs. And it will answer you, just like it did with your ancestors. It will not answer you that it needs sweatlodges or Sundances or Indian spirits, because that is for the other side of the quilt. It will instead tell you the secrets of your particular side of the quilt. The secrets that have been asleep for many years, because noone bothered to listen. But they are still there and you, as a caretaker of that particular place, has the
obligation and responsibility to listen.
It might not seem as “glamorous�?as Native American ceremonies. But don´t be fooled! Because it is in the stitches the magic lies. It is when you know your patch, your particular part of Mother Earth, when you feel your responsibility of being a part of the most beautiful quilt in the world, when you in your heart have no need to take other people´s ceremonies but instead admire them from a distant, that is when magic is created. And when you do this, you will notice that after a while people from the other side will reach out their hands to you in an honest need to get connected. They will approach you with the same trust and respect you have shown the quilt �?Mother Earth -.and that day when your patch connects with patches all around the world, first then will you really and truly understand the beauty of working together for the benefit of Mother Earth. And for the
Quilt of Life.
Re-printed here with permission of the author who wishes to remain anonymous.
Quoted from the author:
"The credit goes to all Indigenous people who have tried for centuries to make deaf ears listen to this message."
"Please feel free to post it wherever you want - and this goes of course for everyone else."
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