The world in which you were born is just one model of reality.
Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you.
They are unique manifestations of the human spirit. Wade Davis
If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy.
If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem.
But I arise in the morning torn between a
desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.
This makes it hard to plan the day. E.B. White
Desiderata
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and enchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive God to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life
keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
Infinite possibilities exist within a set of rules.
I.M. Pei
Success
He has achieved success who haslived well, laughed often, and loved much;
who has enjoyed
the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
who has filled
his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left
the world better than he found it
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty
or failed to express it;
who has always
looked for the best in others
and given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.
Bessie Stanley
(often, and wrongly, attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love.
with glorious action, and filled with noble risks,
is worth whole years of those
mean observances of petty decorum,
in which men steal through existence
like sluggish waters through a marsh,
without either honor or observation.
Sir Walter Scott
Who never failed, no victory has sought;
Who never suffered, never lived his best;
Who never doubted, never really thought;
Who never feared, real courage has not shown;
Who never faltered lacks a real intent;
Whose soul was never troubled has not known
The sweetness and the peace of real content.
E.M. Brainard
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,
or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena;
whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions
and spends himself in a worthy course;
who at the best, knows in the end
triumph of high achievement,
and who, at worst, if he fails,
at least fails while daring greatly;
so that his place shall never be with
those cold and timid souls
who know neither victory or defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt (Paris Sorbonne, 1910)
Those activities are what I call work.
I liked to do certain things
no matter how much exertion they required.
Clarence Darrow, The Story of My Life
Nike slogan
Larry, the cable guy.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated failures.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve
the problems of the human race."
Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States (1872 - 1933)
Lesson in perseverance: Abraham Lincoln
The lady he loved and was engaged to marry -- also died.
When his grocery business went bankrupt,
he worked for seventeen years to pay back his creditors.
He tried politics and was defeated by his opponents many times.
He struggled to achieve noble aspirations and
often was depressed by the struggle,
but he persevered with dignity and patience.
- 1831 - failed in business
- 1832 - defeated by legislature
- 1833 - again failed in business
- 1835 - sweetheart died
- 1836 - suffered nervous breakdown
- 1838 - defeated for speaker
- 1843 - defeated for Congress
- 1855 - defeated for Senate
- 1856 - defeated for Vice-President
- 1858 - defeated for Senate
- 1860 - elected President of the U.S.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This day is all that is good and fair.
It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
R.W. Emerson
Love
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy
and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love,
I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames of martyrdom,
but have not love,
I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child,
I talked like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man,
I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
(Joel's note: as my daughter reads that last line,
love is more important than faith.)
1st Corinthians, Chapter 13
Hurtling Through Space
It was just a day at Darien Lake, an upstate New York amusement park. My daughter, her friend, and I were standing in the usual long, snaking line to ride the park's roller coaster, called the Viper. It was our first ride of the day, and we like roller coasters, both wood and steel.
In line with us was a group of teenage African-American girls. They were passing the long wait by joking and laughing and just having a good time. In their care was a little girl, about nine years old, just barely tall enough to reach the magic mark of amusement park adulthood that earns access to the Viper.
When we reached the final point-of-no-return before launching, I noticed that the little girl was an odd number in her group, and therefore, without someone with whom to ride.
I hesitated. After all, I was a stranger and a white man. On the other hand, I was with my own kid and her friend, so, I would probably be considered "safe."
I didn't have a fellow rider, either. The older girls suddenly noticed their predicament and were talking about what to do -- where would the little girl ride? I finally mustered the nerve to speak up. "She can ride with me, if she wants."
They asked her. "OK."
They had her get in the chute next to mine. I let her in the car first and pulled down the safety bar. The coaster started up. Then the little girl turned and looked up at me. "Would you hold my hand?"
Shocked inside, I just replied, "Sure."
She put her little hand inside mine, and we climbed the first hill. When we started down, she squeezed my hand for all she was worth, closed her eyes so tightly that they were barely visible slits, and cried as intensely as she possibly could.
We were hurtling out into time and space and the universe together, just the two of us, this little African-American girl and this white Anglo stranger.
I had been there before, but this was new and frightening for her, and she trusted me for her safety and comfort.
Everytime we reached a level area, her eyes opened and she relaxed her grip -- a little. She never let go completely. But whenever we went into a dip or turn, she bore down, and the tears fell again.
At the end of the ride, I think that she was proud of herself. I told her older friends that they should buy her a special "I survived the Viper" button. They smiled and left for other rides.
As our groups turned to go their separate ways, I thought about the little children who had been hurt by adults over the decades and the centuries. I thought about the responsibility that we adults have toward them. I thought about the tremendous privilege inherent in that responsibility. And I thought about trust. This little girl had not bothered to see a stereotype, what I might appear to be on the outside. She just knew that she needed someone to trust.
In just a few moments she had given me the best lesson I have ever had in trust, both how to trust others and how to respect, value, appreciate, and enjoy the trust given by another person.
Years later, I can still feel that little hand inside mine. Thank you, little girl -- I wish I had asked your name.
As human beings on this planet, we are thrown together into many situations and roller coaster rides. We hurtle through space at thousands of miles an hour.
The single most important aspect of our ride is how we treat those in the car with us.
~ Vance Agee ~ (If you pass this story along to friends, please include the author's name. Thank you!)
Faith
On the long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest possession. . . . Faith is the fire that consumes all the impurities of worldly desires, it removes the burden, and it is the guide that leads one's way. Faith removes greed, fear and pride; it teaches courtesy and to respect others; it frees one from the bondage of circumstances; it gives one courage to meet hardship; it gives one power to
overcome temptations; it enables one to keep one's deeds bright and pure; and it enriches the mind with wisdom. Faith is the encouragement when one's way is long and wearisome, and it leads to enlightenment. But it is difficult to ... maintain a pure mind in the constant rise and fall of greed, anger and worldly passion; yet faith enables one to do it.The Teaching of Buddha
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, to discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and to be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. Henry David Thoreau
Philosophy Lesson
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles, and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles of course rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded unanimously-yes.
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar-effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now" said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff."
"If you put the sand in the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check ups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the rocks first-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."
