Why 'quotes' work ...

I recently read an essay in which C.S. Lewis stated that 99% of all our knowledge, 99% of all the things we know comes from 'authority.'  Let me give you an example.  Have you ever been to Paris?  No?  Then how do you know it is there?  For those of you who have been to Paris, how much money do you have in the bank?  Really?  How do you know it's there?  The point is, most of what we believe or know, we know because the information comes from a trustworthy and/or experienced source.  I can't tell whether the Earth moves around the Sun, or if the Sun moves around the Earth.  I know the Earth moves around the Sun because I believe Copernicus is a reliable source of authority.

And that is why, when Mark Twain says,

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing.  It was here first," 

I believe it because I consider Mark Twain is a reliable, experienced and trustworthy authority.

Dream and Discover

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

Slow Down ...

Earlier in the day, I passed on a Thomas Merton quote that appeared as the quote of the day on gratefulness.org

"We must slow down to a human tempo 

and we'll begin to have time to listen."

An hour or so later, I received a terrific email from one of my spiritual mentors, Father Alexei at Georgetown.  Father Alexei related a great story that I want to share ...

In the deep jungles of Africa, a traveler was making a long trek.  Coolies had been engaged from a tribe to carry the loads.  The first day they marched rapidly and went far.  the traveler had high hopes of a speedy journey.  But the second morning, these jungle tribesmen refused to move.  For some strange reason, they just sat and rested.

 On inquiry as to the reason for this strange behavior, the traveler was informed that they had gone too fast the first day, and that they were now waiting for their souls to catch up with their bodies.

Stardust

I'm willing to eat anything that may come from the fact that I have posted this essay from NPR on my blog.  I find Kimberly Woodbury's  essay so beautiful, so meaningful and so wondrous that I want to give it as much exposure as possible ...
  In 1969, Joni Mitchell penned the song “Woodstock.”  One line in particular rises above the others, and it haunts us with its simple beauty again amidst the turmoil in today’s complex world: 

 “We are stardust, we are golden, 

and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.”

This may be the most meaningful and the most beautiful piece I’ve been compelled to share.  Thank you Kimberly Woodbury for your profound revelation.

We Are All Stardust

by

Kimberly Woodbury - New Haven, Connecticut

As heard on The Bob Edwards Show, March 11, 2011

Kimberly Woodbury wrote this essay for a colloquium at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University, while working towards her master’s degree. She enjoys exploring the space between science and faith. After her graduation this spring, Woodbury will work as an Episcopal priest and chemistry teacher in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.  In the deepest reaches of the cosmos, scientists have found sound waves they think came from the Big Bang. Episcopal priest and science teacher Kimberly Woodbury believes those waves are a siren call connecting all of us to the mysteries of the universe.

“I remember an article about a group of astrophysicists who sent a probe deep into space. They sent it to a place so far away that you would expect only bottomless silence. And instead they found waves — sound waves that they traced all the way back to the Big Bang.

Forever Young II

by Bob Dylan

May God bless and keep you always 
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others 
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars 
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young 
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous 
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth 
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous 
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young 
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy 
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation 
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful 
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young 
May you stay forever young.

Questions and Answers

I've been thinking about this particular piece since I read a bit on a gent's Zen blog last week, and then I was inspired to get this up when I read Jesse's piece on Project Love this morning ...  Jesse makes a good point about recognizing those things that are apt to put a person in a 'funk.'  If a person recognizes those things, he may be able to avoid them, but as Jesse discusses ... some things -- like a rainy day -- you just can't avoid and you have to confront.  He's found a way through prayer and music to fight this particular dragon.  Bravo!

Back to the Zen piece I read last week ... This chap found that he could improve the quality of his life by asking himself questions and then setting about to find the answers.  His questions are not the obvious ones.  He asks himself things like, "What would I feel like if I ate a Vegan diet for 30 days?"  The only way to find out is to eat a Vegan diet for 30 days and he does.  If he feels good, he continues.  He asks, "How fast can I run a mile?"  The only way to find out is to run the mile.

Loyalty

In the past 12 months, I’ve done a lot of contemplative reading that has enabled me to rearrange my brain in what I perceive is a good way.  My reading range from Thomas Merton to Zen to Native American stories [rarely written, always told and ‘related], and I’ve become attentive to minimalism and am trying to make it a part of my life.  As I told one of my friends recently, I’ve concluded that our sole objective in life is to live it as best we can in accordance with God’s will.  I believe that if we do, we will be fulfilled, which, in turn means we lead happy and productive lives.  Father Tom Rosica enriched my thought in his Zenit “Word Made Flesh” essay this morning on the Loyalty of God’s Son.  His thought is something I will contemplate and consider until I get it right.  Father Rosica writes,

“Reflect on your own sense of loyalty this week. Unless you find some sort of loyalty, you cannot find unity and peace in our active living. True loyalty is a positive, wholehearted devotion to those things beyond our own selfish private selves. It is much bigger than we are and no one can be really successful or happy if he lives only for himself. How loyal are you?

“Here is a simple test: Make a list of the simple things in which nearly everyone believes -- family, community, church, country and employer. Ask yourself if since making this list you have so lived that these five things are stronger, better, finer, because of you. If you can answer "yes" truthfully, you know that you understand the full meaning of loyalty -- and, incidentally, the secret of true happiness. It is also the road to holiness.”