A Temporary Change in Perspective

Instead of a quote, a story. "The Disciple" by Oscar Wilde

When Narcissus died, the pool of his pleasure changed from a cup of sweet waters into a cup of salt tears, and the Oreads came weeping through the woodland that they might sing to the pool and give it comfort.

And when they saw that the pool had changed from a cup of sweet waters to a cup of salt tears, they loosened the green tresses of their hair and cried to the pool and said, "We do not wonder that you should mourn in this manner for Narcissus, so beautiful was he."

"But was Narcissus beautiful?" said the pool.

"Who should know that better than you?" answered the Oreads. "Us did he ever pass by, but you he sought for, and would lie on your banks and look down at you, and in the mirrors of your waters he would mirror his own beauty."

And the pool answered, "But I loved Narcissus because, as he lay on my banks and looked down at me, in the mirror of his eyes I saw ever my own beauty mirrored."


The quote: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

The cryptic note about Prairie View was a reminder that my train buddies took me to the Prairie House in Prairie View for drinks and fun as a send off. I'm very excited about my impending move, but I am leaving some wonderful people behind. Luckily, they are looking forward to coming up to visit me in my new digs.


The quote: "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn." —John Muir (1838-1914)


The quote: "Fashion is something that goes in one year and out the other." —Unknown. I know, groan. :-D


The quote: "We are bits of stellar matter that got cold by accident, bits of a star gone wrong." —Sir Arthur Eddington (1882-1944)

So many moons ago, I recall going to Sunday school and hearing stories about the creation of the world that did not jibe with what I learned the rest of the week in school. It bothered me for sometime until I made the realization that I can not know everything. The warring truths that I was being fed no longer stood on opposite sides, but were joined by a fascination with all the other stories/truths ever given to describe our creation. In all of them I'm sure there is a grain of truth as seen and told by the creator of the specific explanation/story. And as my experience changes, so too does my perception of the nature of the stories—I choose to take from them the best they have to offer, and write off the negatives as a manifestation of the flaws of the all-too human who wrote them.

What does all of this have to do with anything, you might ask (if you've read this far)? Well, Eddington's quote might put the fire of argument into the belly of a stout creationist. I'd suggest that instead of viewing it as Big Bang Dogma, it should be viewed as another form of the Christ within all of us.

Take the best, and leave the rest.


The quote: "We are generally the better persuaded by the reasons we discover ourselves than by those given to us by others." —Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

I'm particularly proud of the bizarre little sketch on the 1st. It came from my imagination and was done without a model (obviously). I don't sketch that way very often. My dad does, and he has a wickedly imaginative and creative mind.


The quote: "Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity." —Christopher Morley (1890-1957)

Based on the size of the world population, how likely is it that we could possibly read, thing or do something that no one else is reading, thinking or doing in that same moment? I wonder if someone was asking that somewhere else?

Thanks for reading!