A Treasure Hunt with Otis: Acquiring the Wisdom Needed to Navigate the Journey of Life

By Eddy A. Sumar

A Treasure Hunt With Otis introduces an optimistic approach to some of the weightier philosophical thoughts about life. In every place, with every experience, there are lessons that can be found and applied in order to gain insight and wisdom. Otis will accompany you through five journeys that speak to five different concepts a person encounters along the way during the journey called life. His wisdom is acquired from a compilation of many diverse thoughts, feelings, and experiences from people he met along the way. Some of the wisdom he acquired came to him through their writings, and some through his own interactions and personal dealings with them. Either way, Otis is happy to share what he has learned in the hopes that he will leave his mark on a better world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 27, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462835744

Eddy A. Sumar

Eddy A. Sumar, born in Lima, Peru, has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Bethlehem University, Bethlehem, West Bank, where he enjoyed a Fulbright scholarship and graduated as Valedictorian. He also earned his MBA with distinction from Leicester University, Leicester, UK. Mr. Sumar is a public speaker and enjoys writing and traveling. He is the of the books From the Cut Board to the Cutting Edge: Re-inventing Credit in the 21st Century, and A Treasure Hunt With OTIS—Acquiring the Wisdom Needed to Navigate the Journey of Life. Mr. Sumar became interested in the international arena when he was working as a tour guide in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

Book preview

The OtiSumar Series

A

Treasure

Hunt

With

Otis

Acquiring the Wisdom

Needed to Navigate

the Journey of Life

Eddy A. Sumar

Copyright © 2008 by Eddy A. Sumar.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

44354

Contents

Acknowledgment

Foreword

Introduction

Part I

All Aboard To Port Relation!

All Aboard To Port Relationship!

The Treasure Uncovered: Twelve Ingredients, Twenty-Eight Strands

Part II

A Journey To Self-Discovery

A Journey To Understand Others And Leverage Mutual Strengths

A Journey To Understand P-Sap

A Journey For One’s Reinvention To Reach The Cutting Edge

Have You Checked Your Treasure Chest?

Part III

The Mountain And The Peak

The Mantra—Climb On! Climb On! Climb On!

The Chalice Of Passion, The Drink Of Victory

On To The Next Peak

Have You Checked Your Treasure Chest?

Part IV

The Respite

The Land Of Whitescapes

Have You Checked Your Treasure Chest?

Part V

A Journey to the First Frontier

The Star of Endless Imagination

On to the Galaxy of Creativity

On to Spacemark Constellation of Exploration

Have You Checked Your Treasure Chest?

Farewell—Epilogue

Appendix

I dedicate this book to my late friend Robert Caine

who was my inspiration.

I also dedicate this book to my mother Leila Cassis de Sumar

who always supported me in my dreams.

Acknowledgment

I would like to thank my beloved wife and editor in chief, Rosalie, who dedicated countless hours to make this dream a reality. I am thankful for her endless patience as she listened to me work out the details of the story and for her hard work in editing once the ideas were on paper.

I would also like to thank our good friends, the Moores, Marvin and Merry, for reading the first draft and giving their candid and helpful feedback. A special thanks to Marvin for providing all the sketches of Otis used throughout the story.

Richard Riley is also deserving of our sincere thanks for giving us support and feedback all along the way and for reviewing the final draft.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my brother, Cesar Sumar, for his ideas and his advice.

In addition, I want to acknowledge all those who contributed to bringing this book to print.

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Foreword

Otis

The Rider of the Clouds

I, Otis, the Rider of the Clouds, would like to introduce myself to my dear readers in a series of journeys. You, the reader, are going to set out on a special voyage that will include the gamut of our personal and professional lives. As many Orientals would agree, life is a journey. Occidentals talk about life’s purpose, goals, and objectives. In my view, life is neither completely one nor the other; life is a journey leading us to many destinations that would fulfill what the Occidentals call goals, objectives, or visions.

I, Otis, consider myself, as one Australian mate called me, your philosophical life mate. I will appear to you whenever and wherever you need me. You may not recognize my physical appearance as I do morph into whichever character is needed at the time. Each character I take on, however, has his place. You may think it unusual that I have so many names. Nevertheless, each name has a special significance. If you find that you don’t recognize my name, and if there is an asterisk by that name, feel free to consult the appendix. Every time I appear, I will leave you with nuggets of knowledge and wisdom that will serve you well on your life’s long journey. You will start with an empty treasure chest that without fail will be filled with the rarest of gems and precious jewels that will help you navigate the waves of the immense ocean and the spheres of the universe of your life. The knowledge that you will acquire will guide you through the darkest of life’s moments and through the storms of your life, as well as the good times.

Being a cloud rider affords me the unique opportunity to travel the globe and witness from high above what is happening in the world down below. Being in the heights above, riding the clouds, gives me a wide scope of vision. It gives me a strategic advantage. I can see and observe from a macro perspective. I can see without prejudice and preconceived notions.

As I ride the clouds, I fly over many nations. I have passed over rich as well as poor countries. I have observed prosperous and wealthy individuals as well as poor and downtrodden ones. I have seen rich people who—despite their wealth, money, power, fame, and authority—have not acted wisely and thus lost their fame, reputation, fortunes, and holdings. Yes, they were rich in material possessions, but they were poor in spirit. They believed that their wealth would make them happy; but alas, it brought them misery, gloominess of heart, and sadness of spirit. Yet I observed some of those called poor being rich in spirit and integrity. What I saw showed me the essence of our humanity. I saw the poor carrying the standard of honesty, integrity, humility, simplicity, and generosity. I realized that they were rich in their values, which are imperatives for a happy human family.

As I ride above the clouds, gazing at the earth below, I cannot overemphasize enough that love of the Supreme Being and love for neighbor are vital for our success as a human family. Our survival rests on living up to the full the meaning of the one word

love

. A simple word, but within its letters, it contains the secret for our existence. Be Loyal to the Creator and Obey him, and he will give you the Victory over Evil. Indeed, the survival of the human family depends on love fueled by selflessness and the deep desire to help others reach their full potential to enjoy life as the Supreme Being, our Creator, purposed.

You may wonder why I call myself the Rider of the Clouds. Let me tell you.

Have you looked at the skies lately? You see clouds of every shape, figure, form, and formation. Clouds are everywhere. You see them over lands, deserts, seas, lakes, and oceans. You find them down in the plains and atop mountains, even above the Himalayan range. You will even find clouds down in Antarctica. Some clouds bring relief; others bring ominous events. When you see a cloud in the desert, it brings comfort and shade from the burning sun. In drought season, clouds bring hope of a downpour that might end the drought. But they may possibly bring flash floods that could destroy anything in their path. Thus, clouds contain the paradox of life. On the one hand, they can bring relief. On the other hand, they can trigger a type of relief effort. When clouds bring an adequate amount of rain, they bring hope and they refresh and upbuild. But a great deal of unbridled rain with strong winds can destroy and raze to the ground what was built. So I, Otis, ride the clouds to witness the good and bring you relief from life’s unexpected downpours.

There are mornings when the clouds are thick and cover the warmth of a great day. You wake up and you may feel depressed, dejected. You miss the warmth of the external sun. You may even forget your own inner warmth and that of your closest associates and friends. When thick clouds engulf our lives, we tend to forget that behind the clouds, there still exists a bright sun waiting to diffuse its light and share its warmth with you. Moreover, one fact should not escape you, dear reader, is that sooner or later the clouds will move and dissipate and the sun will emerge as if with a renewed strength, vigor, energy, and warmth to surround you and bestow upon you its brilliant smile. And at that moment, your low, dejected spirit begins to feel the solar warmth and slowly begins to brighten until your sadness disappears, forgetting that just moments before the dark clouds were looming. The sun is shining, declaring the skies cloud free. At that moment, you realize that dark clouds do not stay overhead forever. Behind every cloud there is a shining hope. In fact, on one of my journeys, riding a fluffy white horselike cloud, I listened to an earthly subject addressing the clouds in the poem:

Thank You for Stopping By

Oh clouds of delight and beauty

You proclaim, preserve and protect

Delight me with your formation!

Captivate me with gentleness!

The earth awaits your great shadow

The ground yearns to imbibe—to drink

Mountain veins are exposed—open

Your shadow becomes their Band-Aid

Migrating clouds, please, settle here

Your presence divine here in need

The earth is shattered desert like

Mankind in need of a blanket

Fluffy white and, yes, comforting

Oh clouds of delight and beauty

Bestow! Upon me, pour your grace!

My soul yearns for your tenderness

Amidst a world filled with soreness

Times are critical! Need shadow!

This telegram is sent to you

Oh fluffy clouds high in the sky

Look down! I’m calling; please, look down!

Do not pass me by, need shadow

The earth is parched, need to imbibe

Oh, fluffy clouds, pour me a drink

Do not pass me by, I’m thirsty

Do not pass me by, need shadow

Oh, fluffy clouds high in the sky

I thank thee, yes, for stopping by

A generous gift your shadow

A soothing canopy—a shield

A shelter from the burning sun

Oh, fluffy clouds high in the sky

I thank thee for not passing by

What a downpour—your precious rain!

Your liquid divine, it’s water

A refreshing drink, a real treat

Fluffy clouds, thank your maker God!

My soul agrees Jah is Supreme

So, fluffy clouds high in the sky

Thank you! Thank you for stopping by

Thus, with great pride, I call myself the Rider of the Clouds. So whenever you see a cloud looming, remember, Otis will be there to bring relief. When life’s storms engulf you, just look at the skies above and search the clouds. Look closely! Otis is riding the clouds, ready to descend to bring relief. Indeed, amid the clouds, there is the source of hope, dreams, and aspirations.

As the Rider of the Clouds, I have been able to witness firsthand the depth of the human drama. In this humble series called A Treasure Hunt with Otis, I invite you to keep an open mind and to take your empty treasure chest with you as you embark on your life’s journey. Whenever Otis appears, make sure to gather the nuggets of knowledge and wisdom. Otis will be taking you on several journeys. On the first journey, Otis will take you on the OtiSumar Explorer, on land and sea, to discover the meaning of the word

relationship

. On the second journey, you will accompany Otis To the Depths of the Earth where you will attempt to discover yourself, understand others, leverage mutual strengths, reinvent yourself to ultimately reach your cutting edge. On the third journey, Otis will become your Sherpa guide leading you in Scaling the Highest Peak—The Mount Everest of Your Life. Yes, from the depths of the earth to the roof of the world, Otis will be with you, guiding the way. On the fourth journey, Otis will begin by taking you on a unique excursion to The Land of Enchantment, enchanted Patagonia. Then you will continue on to The Land of Whitescapes in the terrain beyond the land down under—the land that looks like it came from a fairy tale—Antarctica. This journey is a journey of relaxation, recreation, and respite. Indeed, taking into account life’s stormy events, from time to time we need a breather. It is imperative that we find a way to rejuvenate our souls. Then, after the respite, Otis will embark on A Journey to the First Frontier by launching the OtiSumar Space Mobile—Skylab ICE XXI to fly to the first frontier. While some consider outer space the last frontier, Otis will show you that it is truly the beginning of a special voyage. It will be a special voyage to celebrate the genius of the human race in pursuing Imagination, Creativity, and Exploration. That is the beginning step to future rewards.

Therefore, my dear reader, accept the invitation and challenge the status quo. Challenge your perceptions! Acquire new perspectives! Embark on the journey of a lifetime! Gather the treasure! Fill