No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop
Gabriela Mistral
The night, it is deserted
from the mountains to the sea.
But I, the one who rocks you,
I am not alone!
The sky, it is deserted
for the moon falls to the sea.
But I, the one who holds you,
I am not alone !
The world, it is deserted.
All flesh is sad you see.
But I, the one who hugs you,
I am not alone!
Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. ~ Nhat Hanh
The little box gets her first teeth
And her little length
Little width little emptiness
And all the rest she has
The little box continues growing
The cupboard that she was inside
Is now inside her
And she grows bigger bigger bigger
Now the room is inside her
And the house and the city and the earth
And the world she was in before
The little box remembers her childhood
And by a great longing
She becomes a little box again
Now in the little box
You have the whole world in miniature
You can easily put in a pocket
Easily steal it lose it
Take care of the little box
Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. ~ Albert Einstein
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.
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?
Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince visiting another planet, this planet was the smallest of all the planets with a lamppost and lamplighter. The Little Prince said:
“Perhaps this man is foolish. However, he is less foolish than the king, than the vainglorious, than the businessman, and then the drinker. At least his work has meaning. When he lights his lamp, it is as if he gave birth to one more star, or to a flower. When he blows out his lamp off, it puts the flower, a star to sleep. It is a very beautiful occupation. It truly is useful since it is beautiful. . . . He is the only one that does not seem ridiculous to me. It is, perhaps, because he takes care of things other than himself.”
NOTE: Forgetting about ourselves and caring more about others creates meaning in our lives. It seems so simple that connecting with others is the pathway to living a full, happy, and meaningful life. We don’t live in silos, we live in communities and communities are made-up of people who are meant to help each other and build the community so it will prosper and thrive. We each have a part to play no matter how big or small in building our community.
