By definition a Hero is a person who is admired for their courage, their achievements or for other noble qualities. Noble qualities would be high moral principles and greatness of character. My list of heroes has been amended and updated as I have moved through the seasons of my life and by now it is top heavy with accomplished writers, scholars and scientists. When I need a shot of clear-eyed skepticism and unforgiving truth I turn to Samuel Clemens (1835 - 1910). His quotes range from moral benchmarks to keen observations on the human experience. He was unapologetic, a skeptic of the 1st Order and I thrive in his shadow. He is a hero by means of both his literary achievements and of noble character.
I keep discovering or rediscovering Mark Twain quotes that are both profound and empowering. Today I came across these two. The one on ‘Majority’ is not new to me, just put away where I could not find it. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” I take that to mean, it may not require a change of position but he makes clear his suspicions about herd mentality. Certainly he would have us rethink where it is that we stand and how we got there. The glimpse of wisdom on aging is new to me. “Do not complain about growing old, it is a privilege denied to many.”
George Burns is credited with; “Age, it’s just a number.” As I understand it, Burns didn’t actually say that but he got the credit. What he said was; “You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old”. Along the way someone took liberty with his insight and turned it into a clever punch-line. Burns made a distinction between inevitable physical decline and exercising a keen, informed presence at any age. I used to throw the (just a number) thing out in conversation but that was when I was a young 75. A decade later I concede that 85 is more than just a number, it’s a privilege that many have been denied. To deny that one’s sphere is shrinking may stroke a proud ego but it doesn’t hit the pause button. At 85 living in the moment is a sound investment. The axiom has never been more relevant: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” Today, in the moment, it’s the only day I will ever be able to my hands on. The "Present" requires gratitude and respect; I try to spend it on something noble, something that would please my mother.
Samuel Clemens is not alone at the top of my list. Carl Sagan and Sylvia Earle are right up there, champions of making science relevant to the layperson without dumbing it down. Helen Keller and Kurt Vonnegut reveal human nature with both its grand possibility and dark side as well. I lean on all of them when I feel the need.
Thanksgiving will be here in a few days. It is a time for both humility and gratitude. I have given up on the God that sanctions wars and racism and greedy bastards who abuse the planet, who take and put nothing back, profiting from human suffering. So my humble ’Thank-you’ will go out into the universe unaddressed. Before 1492 the true native tribes of North America believed, if you want to know what the creator expects of us then pay attention to how creation works. Take some, leave some, we’re all in this together. Thank you! Thank you for the plants and animals that replicate and regenerate their own kind so there is enough for us to eat and drink and sustain. If caution is the better part of valor (and I believe it is) then I would also think that humility is the better part of gratitude. “Mitakuye Oyasin, We are all related!”
I keep discovering or rediscovering Mark Twain quotes that are both profound and empowering. Today I came across these two. The one on ‘Majority’ is not new to me, just put away where I could not find it. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” I take that to mean, it may not require a change of position but he makes clear his suspicions about herd mentality. Certainly he would have us rethink where it is that we stand and how we got there. The glimpse of wisdom on aging is new to me. “Do not complain about growing old, it is a privilege denied to many.”
George Burns is credited with; “Age, it’s just a number.” As I understand it, Burns didn’t actually say that but he got the credit. What he said was; “You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old”. Along the way someone took liberty with his insight and turned it into a clever punch-line. Burns made a distinction between inevitable physical decline and exercising a keen, informed presence at any age. I used to throw the (just a number) thing out in conversation but that was when I was a young 75. A decade later I concede that 85 is more than just a number, it’s a privilege that many have been denied. To deny that one’s sphere is shrinking may stroke a proud ego but it doesn’t hit the pause button. At 85 living in the moment is a sound investment. The axiom has never been more relevant: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” Today, in the moment, it’s the only day I will ever be able to my hands on. The "Present" requires gratitude and respect; I try to spend it on something noble, something that would please my mother.
Samuel Clemens is not alone at the top of my list. Carl Sagan and Sylvia Earle are right up there, champions of making science relevant to the layperson without dumbing it down. Helen Keller and Kurt Vonnegut reveal human nature with both its grand possibility and dark side as well. I lean on all of them when I feel the need.
Thanksgiving will be here in a few days. It is a time for both humility and gratitude. I have given up on the God that sanctions wars and racism and greedy bastards who abuse the planet, who take and put nothing back, profiting from human suffering. So my humble ’Thank-you’ will go out into the universe unaddressed. Before 1492 the true native tribes of North America believed, if you want to know what the creator expects of us then pay attention to how creation works. Take some, leave some, we’re all in this together. Thank you! Thank you for the plants and animals that replicate and regenerate their own kind so there is enough for us to eat and drink and sustain. If caution is the better part of valor (and I believe it is) then I would also think that humility is the better part of gratitude. “Mitakuye Oyasin, We are all related!”
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