Echoes in a Hollow Space

Random quote of the day:

“Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys
Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs;
Who steer the plough, but cannot steer their feet
Clear of the grave.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Hamatreya”



Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Bert and Ernie, Celine Dion, or the Band of the Coldstream Guards. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

There was a 4.4 earthquake near here this morning, but this quote came randomly from the quote file.

Random quote of the day:

“Geology has joined biology in lowering mankind’s self-esteem. Geology suggests how mankind’s existence is contingent on the geological consent of the planet. Although the planet is hospitable for the moment, it is indifferent—eventually it will be lethally indifferent—to its human passengers.”

—George Will, Jewish World Review, May 22, 2003, reviewing Simon Winchester’s Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded

 

Disclaimer:  The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

Random quote of the day:


"Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice."

—attributed to Will Durant





(This quote is widely attributed to Will Durant, but no one seems to be able to find a source. About.com does a good deconstruction of it here, so I won't repeat it. Regardless, it's a great quote and very true, no matter who may have originally said it.)






( Illustrated version. )


Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Random quote of the day:


"We must realize that we do not live in a world of dead matter, but in a universe of living spirit. Let us open our eyes to the sacredness of Mother Earth, or our eyes will be opened for us."

—David Monongye, tribal elder of the Hopi, letter to the United Nations General Assembly





( Illustrated warning. )

I have come to hate the drive to and from work. It's become a nightmare of bottled up traffic and frustrated motorists and I routinely find myself thinking of going on a shooting rampage. And I'm one of those lefty pinkos who doesn't believe people should be allowed to own handguns. Because of people like me who, if I had a little less self-control or my brain chemistry was imbalanced, might go on shooting rampages.

Then I had my wake up call last week, reminding me that I may still be living, but this world is at best a temporary home. The drive in was as horrid as it's been in the months before, but I took a deep breath that day. Several deep breaths. I let it go. And I noticed the sunlight shining through the new leaves of the trees, an aqueous chartreuse, and making a aura of crisp golden light around the older, thicker leaves. The patterns of life hold, no matter what happens or does not happen in our lives. The spring always returns. You can't hold onto the cold, churning darkness forever.

As if to reinforce the lesson, on the radio that day NPR had a story on Thich Nhat Hahn, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has many followers here in the West. I remembered going to see one of his lectures some years ago, and the charming way in which he conveyed his philosophy: staying in the moment, compassionate listening, mindfulness. All the things that have been missing from my commute.

I'm not a Buddhist but I've adopted many of their tenets. I can't completely support any philosophy which abjures the body. I believe we were given bodies for a reason, to learn from them—their failure as well as their strength. Our bodies are the only thing in this life that are ever truly ours to possess. All the rest is ephemera. I believe in some other spirit, but there is no incontrovertible proof that spirit exists, only faith. This world is all that we can truly know—while we yet live.

And so I remind myself every time the drive or anything else gets to be too much: "Sink your toes deep in the loamy earth and wiggle them. Stay in the moment, feeling the richness of life squeeze between those digits. Savor it while you can. Be mindful of our Mother and of yourself . Savor yourself while you can. Be good to yourself, so you can then make a better space in the world, so that you can be a compassionate listener to those around you who need help, so that they can be a compassionate listener to you when you need help. Remember your body is a creature of this world and no other. This is the first step in grounding yourself in the moment with your feet on the good, green earth."