"I do not know beneath what sky nor upon what seas shall be thy fate; I only know it shall be high, I only know it shall be great."
Richard Hovey , composer
An ever-in process, ever-in progress (or so I like to believe) human being and aspiring "man of letters." Each day I try as best as I can to take one step -- minuscule as it may no doubt seem -- towards becoming the man God intended me to be. Most days I fail. Some days I fail miserably, to be quite honest. Then there're those rare occasions when I succeed. Those I call my "good days."
As Jack Kerouac , author of On the Road, once put it: "I have nothing to offer anyone but my own confusion."
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness."
Tenzin Gyatso
or
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
Nobel Peace Prize, 1989
One of the 20th Century's Foremost Men of Letters
and Spiritual Leaders
"man of letters"
n. pl. men of letters
A man who is devoted to literary or scholarly pursuits.
My "That's Some (Real) Deep Stuff!" Quote(s) of the Moment:
It's not simply that a gap exists between our professed ideals as a nation and the reality we witness every day. In one form or another, that gap has existed since America's birth. Wars have been fought, laws passed, systems reformed, unions organized, and protests staged to bring promise and practice into closer alignment. No, what's troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics.
- Excerpted from Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope
#1 New York Times Bestseller
We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood—it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late."
- Excerpted from "Beyond Vietnam" A Call To Conscience:
The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Barack Obama - Yes We Can (4:30 secs)
Barack Obama - Remember The Name (2:15 secs)
"Othello" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Good name in man and woman, dear my Lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.