bloganical

"The human brain is not an organ of thinking, but an organ of survival like claw and fangs. It is made in such a way as to make us accept as truth that which is only advantage." ~ Albert Szent-Györgi

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour. If we refused, or rather used up, such paltry information as we get, the oracles would distinctly inform us how this might be done. Henry David Thoreau. Walden . “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For." Ed. J. Lyndon Shanley. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1971. 90...

"Things change a lot." "Within a blink a mountain flattens and a river dries up. Nobody knows who he'll become tomorrow." A character in a story by Yiyun Li - and . . .

If there was a better way to go then it would find me I can't help it, the road just rolls out behind me Be kind to me or treat me mean I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine Singer/songwriter Fiona Apple

"Life is free. It's the shipping and handling that cost." From Gurustu.

"A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action not reaction." --Rita Mae Brown I don't know where this quote is from. It's referenced many places on the Internet, but I couldn't find a real citation -- nothing beyond the Rita Mae Brown. So much for Internet "information." Smells good though.

I began this blog with a caution from Thomas Merton about the dangers of allowing oneself to be carried away by too many concerns ( Heart: Busy ), and find myself ending it for that very reason. It's time to clean the pool of my life so I can dive in and come up to the light of day refreshed instead of being covered with leaves and debris. The sages (see column right), advise us to ask the question, "Who am I?" and invariably suggest that we start by learning what we are not. After this post, I am not a blogger. First star to the right and straight on 'til morning. . .catch you on the other side. . . December 2005 Update: Liar, liar, pant's on fire. . .