There once was a happy, happy clown named Mr. Clown. He always had a smile on his face. He could make over thirty different types of animals out of balloons, and each one made a different kid smile. Sometimes a child would walk over to him, worried that he would not be able to make their favorite animal, but he always surprised them with his favorite phrase, “Of course I can!”

        But one day, a new clown showed up. His name was Mr. Brown. This new, cooler clown could make way more balloon animals. He even had a flower that could shoot water! The number of children who came to Mr. Clown kept going down. And so, his smile was turned upside down. He was now a sad clown with a frown. 

        Mr. Clown didn’t like that Mr. Brown was better than him. He was going to work hard to become the best clown in the world. He practiced all the time. He’d twist and turn his balloons this way and that way, making new balloon animals. But Mr. Brown was still more popular. Mr. Clown started to lose hope. 

        He was very tired when a man approached him. “Why do you look so sad, Mr. Clown? Aren’t clowns meant to be happy?” the man asked. “Well, there’s a clown better than me and everybody likes him more. Maybe I should stop being a clown,” Mr. Clown replied, looking at the ground. “Is that all it takes for you to give up? Have you never heard of karma yoga?” “Karma yoga? What is that?” Mr. Clown responded. “It is something we practice in Hinduism. Karma changes what we go through based on things we did in the past, both good and bad (“The Path of Work”). In order to follow karma yoga, we can’t be selfish, we have to work to benefit others, and we must finish our tasks (“What Is Karma Yoga?”). Most importantly, we need to do our work with love (Smith). It’s perfect for hard working people like you,” said the man. 

        “How did you know I was hard working?” the clown was a bit surprised. The man chuckled as he spoke, “You said you had given up on being a clown, yet here you are practicing making balloon animals. If that isn’t hard work I don’t know what is. Listen, I can tell you’re a good guy, so let me give you some advice. Karma yoga is practiced by letting go of your selfishness and doing good because you want to (Jain). Why are you making balloon animals right now? So that you can become better than that other clown or so you could see those children smile?” And with that the man left the clown alone with his thoughts. 

        Mr. Clown didn’t want to give up being a clown, but all he could think about was beating Mr. Brown. He didn’t know what to do. “I should go take a walk. Maybe that will help me think of another answer,” Mr. Clown said. On his way, he walked past a children’s hospital and saw a flier that read, “Volunteers Wanted! Want to make a difference in a child’s life? Come volunteer and make a kid smile!” Mr. Clown thought about what the man said earlier “If I want to learn more about how to do things to benefit others, volunteering is a good place to start!” He said as he walked into the hospital.

        There, he saw a kind-looking lady. “Hello,” said Mr. Clown, “I saw the poster outside and I wanted to ask if you knew why people volunteer even though it doesn't benefit them.” She looked at him, “Well, as a Muslim, charity is very important in my religion. Two of the most important types of charity are zakat and sadaqah. Zakat requires Muslims to donate a bit of money every year while sadaqah is done by choice and at any time (“What is the Difference”). Sadaqah is an act of kindness, like smiling or volunteering (“Sadaqa”). They can be given to anyone, friends, family, or even strangers you meet on the street (“Power of Sadaqah”). As for why a person might participate in sadaqa, it’s because it makes up for the bad things you’ve done” (“Five Reasons”).

        “Wow!” exclaims Mr. Clown, “That sounds great.” The lady laughed, “Yes, it is quite great. You’re a clown, aren’t you? Would you like to volunteer today and perform for some of the kids in this hospital?” Mr. Clown quickly and excitedly agreed. For the next couple hours, he went from room to room, making every kid he visited laugh. With every smile he received, he felt happier. Mr. Clown had finally remembered why he was a clown in the first place. He doesn’t want to beat Mr. Brown, he wants to make children happy. And so, he left the children’s hospital with a new goal.

        Mr. Clown finally knew what he wanted to do, but he didn’t know how to do it. Even if he wanted to make kids smile, he didn’t have the motivation to perform for only one or two of them. His friend realized he was struggling and invited him to attend a lecture he was hosting. “It’s going to be about the sixteen Oju Odù, a sacred text from the Yoruba religion (“Odù Ifá”). The stories have been passed down in our family for generations and I’m excited to share it with everyone. It’s a good chance if you’re looking for some guidance.” Mr. Clown thought about it and decided it would be a great way to get some help with reaching his goal. 

        Mr. Clown was running a bit late and when he arrived, the lecture had already started. The teacher had just finished explaining the 13th Oju Odù. “And now, onto the fourteenth, Irete Meji! But before that, it seems like we have some new listeners so we’ll go over just what Oju Odù is one more time.” Mr. Clown quickly took a seat so he could listen. “The Ifa system is practiced by a couple groups, but mainly the Yoruba people in West Africa (“LibGuides”). This system has a lot of stuff in it, from documents to math formulas (“Ifa divination system”). The Oju Odù is one of those important documents” (“Ifa divination system”). Mr. Clown was very interested, he’s always loved learning new things.

        The teacher continued, “Irete Meji says that people need to be serious about their goals if they want good things to happen to them (Coleman). Even when things get tough, you need to go forward and work hard so you can make yourselves into a better person” (Coleman). Mr. Clown was greatly encouraged by his friend’s words. He was determined to give it his all, no matter how difficult it got. He would do it to put smiles on kids’ faces, even if there were only a few of them watching him.