Thinking Out Loud

Thinking Out Loud: Be a Force for Good

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection from William Faulkner’s Banquet Speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1950

“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.” ~ William Faulkner

Note: William Faulkner gives a resounding YES to life. He is speaking to each one of us when he says we are capable of compassion, sacrifice, and endurance. Too often we see the negative in ourselves, in others, and in society. It frightens us. When we choose to search for the good in ourselves, each other, and our society, we find it. There are good people throughout our planet contributing to benefit of all people. When we choose to become a part of the good, we contribute to the overwhelming and undefeatable force of love.

Thinking Out Loud: It’s Time To Delve Deep into Our Hearts

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection from William Faulkner’s Banquet Speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 1950

“He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed – love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. Until he does so, he labors under a curse. He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. His griefs grieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. He writes not of the heart but of the glands.” ~ William Faulkner

Note: William Faulkner won the Nobel prize for literature in 1949. In his speech, he is speaking to both young writers and to us some 70 plus years in advance. Faulkner challenges us to look into our hearts and rediscover the eternal truths residing there. He asks us to remember things like love, honor, pity, pride, compassion, and sacrifice. In a word, he asks us to rekindle our humanity. In rekindling our humanity, we can reflect on our relationships with ourself and with each other. Perhaps, it’s time to look into each of our hearts. And ask ourselves the following questions: Am I capable of compassion? Am I capable of loving unconditionally? Am I capable of providing hope and inspiration to others?

Thinking Out Loud: Opt for Peace

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is taken from Dr. Martin Luther King’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, 10 December 1964

“After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts.― Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Note: How long do we have to endure people who prefer violent solutions? Violent solutions are not limited to acts of war, but also occur in families, neighborhoods, the halls of government, and in social media. Words are used as weapons to attack, belittle, and destroy those who disagree. Do we want a world based on violence or one based on respect and civility? It begins with each of us in how we treat ourselves and those around us. Today opt for nonviolence in language, written word, and attitude. Opt to be kind, civil, and compassionate.

Thinking Out Loud: Optimism is the Fuel

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“Keep in mind, Sancho, that one man is no more than another, unless he does more than another; all these tempests that fall upon us are signs that fair weather is coming shortly, and that things will go well for us. For it is impossible for good or evil to last forever; and hence it follows that the evil having lasted long the good  must be now nigh at hand, so thou must not distress thyself at the misfortunes which happened to me since thou has no share in them.” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Note: like Don Quixote’s optimism. Even though he had many misfortunes, he kept believing that something good was going to happen. He was a happy warrior. When I read the online news, I see articles written by one naysayer after another predicting doom and gloom. They never admit when they’re wrong. They go on to predicting doom and gloom about something else. We live in a democracy. When we live in a democracy. We have faith that the people who live in the democracy will get it right. Democracies are grand experiments of groups of people working together to govern themselves. It takes optimism to live in a democracy and the firm belief that together we can make this experiment work. It’s the same in families. When two people get together to form a family they say to each other, “This is an experiment. And if we work at it and commit ourselves to making it work it will work. It takes optimism to fuel the fire for success.

Thinking Out Loud: Live Life Courageously

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“The fear Thou Art in, Sancho,” said Don Quixote, “prevents thee from seeing or hearing correctly, for one of the effects of fear is to derange the senses and make things appear different from what they are; if thou art in such fear, withdraw to one side and leave me alone to myself, for alone I suffice to bring victory to that side to which I shall give my aid.” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Note: Fear is a crippler. Once it grabs hold of us our minds create situations that do not exist. We imagine the worst and create a minefield for us to navigate through. It causes us to be paralyzed from acting. It is wise to ask ourself if the fear we currently experience is real or is it imagined? It takes courage to live. It takes courage to set out on the adventure. If we live in fear and do not take our adventure we find ourselves slowly becoming emaciated as we watch our lives slip past us. Step boldly into life and experience it to its fullest.

Thinking Out Loud: Don’t Let Your Wounds Cripple You

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“Which Don Quixote replied, wounds received in battle confer honor instead of taking it away; And so, friend Panza say no more. But as I have told thee before, get up as well as thou can, and put me on top of thy beast in whatever fashion pleases thee best, and let us go hence . . .” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Note: We have all been wounded. The poet, Robert Bly, would do workshops for men. He would give them sticky notes to place on the parts of their bodies where they felt they were wounded. We’ve been wounded emotionally and physically. No one is immune. Instead of bemoaning our wounds. We can look at them with great delight. We can see how strong they have made us. We were strong enough to receive the wound and to heal. We gained strength and endurance from the wound. I can review my life and look at the times I was wounded. I didn’t enjoy being wounded. But I am grateful for how strong they have made me. Don’t let your wounds cripple you. Let your wounds be a source of strength.

Thinking Out Loud: Will You Always Wonder?

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“He who does not know how to take advantage of luck when it comes to him, has no right to complain if it gives him the go-by . . .” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Note: At one point in my career I had a wonderful colleague who had much more experience than I. She gave me this piece of advice: When an opportunity comes by, grab it. Because it probably won’t come by again. My experience proved her to be right. I made some mistakes and let good opportunities pass me by. I also had wonderful adventures because I grabbed the opportunity knowing that it would not come by again. I do think luck favors the bold. Dare to take a risk. You never know until you know. And, if you play it safe, you’ll always wonder what might have happened if.

Thinking Out Loud: Love is All

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“Then, his armor being furnished, his morion turned into a helmet, his hack christened, and he himself confirmed, He came to the conclusion that nothing more was needed now but to look out for a lady to be in love with; For a knight-errant without love was like a tree without leaves or fruit, or a body without a soul.” Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

Note: Love is all. Love completes us. It requires us to bury our ego so we may love another without any thought to ourselves. When one has this type of love relationship, one forgets who he or she is and becomes immersed in the other forming a new identity. Two separate people become one. Neither one feels suffocated or trapped. Each feels, perhaps for the first time, alive and free to experience life at a heightened level.

Thinking Out Loud: It’s Time to Slay our Dragons

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves, all of them whom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with those spoils we shall begin to make our fortunes . . . What giants,” said Sancho Panza.” Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

Note: When we set out on our adventure we will have monstrous giants (metaphorically) to slay. Many of those whom we considered friends will not see what we are seeing on our adventure. Their minds are closed as stay behind their emotional barricades. The giants we slay may be our fear, pride, greed, or an unjust cause. If we are to be successful in our adventure, we have to slay our dragons.

Thinking Out Loud: Persevere Through the Tough Times

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Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Cervantes  work, Don Quixote.

“Senor,” said Sancho on hearing this, “It is the part of brave hearts to be patient in adversity just as much as to be glad in prosperity. . . . Fortune is a drunken whimsical jade, and, what is more, blind, and therefore neither sees what she does, nor knows whom she casts down or whom she sets up.” Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

Note: We all have streaks of things going well and things falling apart. The wise learn to take to the good with the bad. They know that every storm will end. If they don’t quit and persevere they know life will once again turn around and the sun will shine on them. They are humble when it is going good and learners when it is going bad. Persevere during tough times, enjoy the good times.

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