Summer break is nearly over?! *gets hit with random projectile*
Alright, alright - 5 months did suffice well - err - really well!
I'm on quite a bit of a literary high [is that even a thing?] and have decided to publish more than one post this week - perhaps it should make up for the dearth of posts of late. Maybe?
So lets move on to the topic of this post - three little things - to live by
Serenity
Anyone who has read 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut would remember this particular excerpt from the 'Serenity Prayer' - the scene goes as such:
Billy had a framed prayer on his office wall which expressed his method for keeping going, even though he was unenthusiastic about living. A lot of his patients who saw the prayer on Billy's wall told him that it helped them to keep going, too.
Alright, alright - 5 months did suffice well - err - really well!
I'm on quite a bit of a literary high [is that even a thing?] and have decided to publish more than one post this week - perhaps it should make up for the dearth of posts of late. Maybe?
So lets move on to the topic of this post - three little things - to live by
Serenity
Anyone who has read 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut would remember this particular excerpt from the 'Serenity Prayer' - the scene goes as such:
Billy had a framed prayer on his office wall which expressed his method for keeping going, even though he was unenthusiastic about living. A lot of his patients who saw the prayer on Billy's wall told him that it helped them to keep going, too.
God grant me
The serenity to accept
The things I cannot change,
Courage
To change the things I can,
And wisdom always
To tell the
Difference.
The serenity to accept
The things I cannot change,
Courage
To change the things I can,
And wisdom always
To tell the
Difference.
Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future.
Taken from a satirical masterpiece [In my view], this little excerpt goes on to form one of the central themes of the book - which I shall probably discuss in another post.
Why do I identify with this?
I identify with this because it is a truth of sorts. Yes, I have heard of 'Try, try again', but at some point you have to realise that there shall always be a distinction between the things that are in your control and the things that cannot possibly be in your control.
Regarding the first part: Man might wish himself the master of his fate [this train of thought leads to also questioning one's autonomy, deserving of a different post] - but there inevitably will be times where life surprises you with a scenario you hadn't expected/planned for. Given the circumstances, you can either fight against it - or accept it and try to make the best of the situation.
Regarding the second part: We've all faced this scenario at least once in our lives - you could make a change for the better in your life - or to someone else's - except, a little sacrifice is asked of you. You wrestle with the thought - on one hand, you keep things the way they are, nothing changes, life goes on as it always has - on the other, you take a leap of faith with the chance of improving upon something with a little sacrifice and hard work. That comes from within us - it is born of courage.
Regarding the third part: This is the most important part - knowing the difference between when it's alright to take a leap of faith and when you're better off staying humble and making do with what you have.
It just seems that life would be a little better - and less stressed if people kept this in mind. Too often, I come across people who lose their calm and worry over things that they couldn't possibly control. In these cases, I'd find it better to redirect all that wasted energy to the process involved in making the best of a seemingly bad situation.
Thyself
This one has stayed with me for the longest time - and it continues to do so for a good reason.
Why do I identify with this?
I consider 'nosce te ipsum' - 'know thyself' to be one of the hardest things to achieve. You could spend your entire life trying to understand other human beings [like I do] - but the biggest challenge one could ever face is understanding oneself.
Why do you do the things you do? What motivates you? What matters most to you - and why?
Taken from a satirical masterpiece [In my view], this little excerpt goes on to form one of the central themes of the book - which I shall probably discuss in another post.
Why do I identify with this?
I identify with this because it is a truth of sorts. Yes, I have heard of 'Try, try again', but at some point you have to realise that there shall always be a distinction between the things that are in your control and the things that cannot possibly be in your control.
Regarding the first part: Man might wish himself the master of his fate [this train of thought leads to also questioning one's autonomy, deserving of a different post] - but there inevitably will be times where life surprises you with a scenario you hadn't expected/planned for. Given the circumstances, you can either fight against it - or accept it and try to make the best of the situation.
Regarding the second part: We've all faced this scenario at least once in our lives - you could make a change for the better in your life - or to someone else's - except, a little sacrifice is asked of you. You wrestle with the thought - on one hand, you keep things the way they are, nothing changes, life goes on as it always has - on the other, you take a leap of faith with the chance of improving upon something with a little sacrifice and hard work. That comes from within us - it is born of courage.
Regarding the third part: This is the most important part - knowing the difference between when it's alright to take a leap of faith and when you're better off staying humble and making do with what you have.
It just seems that life would be a little better - and less stressed if people kept this in mind. Too often, I come across people who lose their calm and worry over things that they couldn't possibly control. In these cases, I'd find it better to redirect all that wasted energy to the process involved in making the best of a seemingly bad situation.
Thyself
This one has stayed with me for the longest time - and it continues to do so for a good reason.
Why do I identify with this?
I consider 'nosce te ipsum' - 'know thyself' to be one of the hardest things to achieve. You could spend your entire life trying to understand other human beings [like I do] - but the biggest challenge one could ever face is understanding oneself.
Why do you do the things you do? What motivates you? What matters most to you - and why?
Who are you?
Ah Aristotle, one of the founding figures of western philosophy and teacher of - none other than - Alexander the Great. As with many of the philosophical teachings of the time, this one rings true - perhaps truer - right now.
Why do I identify with this?
Simply because it is superb - but that's just my opinion. With the advent of the internet, telecommunication and the press, we're exposed to so many facts, figures and resulting opinions these days. People talk. It's the hallmark of the social creatures that we are - we love to form opinions and share them. Some do so more forcefully than others.
There are several ways one could handle an opinion or thought:
Extra knowledge never hurt anyone - well, it never hurt anyone I know!
[Though I suppose exceptions might include spies and civilians that stumble onto things. Oh well!]
I notice that this post doesn't quite have much text as some of the others - this is because quotes such as these hold different significances for different people!
So ponder away folks!
They were the words spoken to Alexander the Great by Pythia - ringing true when he questions his ambition and the end it will take him to.
You can conquer the lands and you can conquer people - but can you conquer yourself?
It is the hardest battle one must face.
And then you have your thoughts...
Thoughts
You can conquer the lands and you can conquer people - but can you conquer yourself?
It is the hardest battle one must face.
And then you have your thoughts...
Thoughts
Ah Aristotle, one of the founding figures of western philosophy and teacher of - none other than - Alexander the Great. As with many of the philosophical teachings of the time, this one rings true - perhaps truer - right now.
Why do I identify with this?
Simply because it is superb - but that's just my opinion. With the advent of the internet, telecommunication and the press, we're exposed to so many facts, figures and resulting opinions these days. People talk. It's the hallmark of the social creatures that we are - we love to form opinions and share them. Some do so more forcefully than others.
There are several ways one could handle an opinion or thought:
- Be the epitome of gullible and believe everything presented to you.
- Be inconsiderate and largely ignore anything being presented to you.
- Actively argue and refuse to entertain an opinion or thought different from your own.
- Entertain a thought or opinion - without accepting it.
Extra knowledge never hurt anyone - well, it never hurt anyone I know!
[Though I suppose exceptions might include spies and civilians that stumble onto things. Oh well!]
I notice that this post doesn't quite have much text as some of the others - this is because quotes such as these hold different significances for different people!
So ponder away folks!
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