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 is on Cervantes work, Don Quixote.
“The girls were looking at him and straining their eyes to make out the features which the clumsy visor obscured, but when they heard themselves called maidens, a thing so much out of their line, they could not restrain their laughter, which made Don Quixote wax indignant, and say, “Modesty becomes the fair, and moreover laughter that has little cause is great silliness; This, however, I say not to pain or anger you, for my desire is none other than to serve you”” Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Note: Don Quixote’s view of the women was different from that which most had of them. Don Quixote saw beyond the surface and saw the goodness each woman had that was obscured by their reputation. How often I judge others by appearance or reputation only to be humbled when I more deeply discover the person’s gifts. When we look for the good in others, we usually find it. When we cut them some slack, we often find that they are cutting us some slack. We are imperfect beings working our way through life. I think it’s better to be prospectors for the good in others and in ourselves.
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Lewis Carroll’s work, Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland is available for free download from Project Gutenberg here.
“The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”
Note: We are in a state of constant change. We are not the same people we were ten years, five years , or a year ago. We age. We take in new information. We become influenced by who we meet, the kind of work we do, what we read and who we choose as friends or partners. When you meet someone you haven’t seen in a long time have you ever thought to yourself, ‘He/she changed.’ I have. I see this in family members when I visit. Life has a way of changing us. What’s important during the inevitable change process is to hold on to all that is good, true, and enduring.
NOTE: What we do with what we’ve experienced makes all the difference in our lives. We can allow negative experiences to fill us with bitterness and anger. We can also allow negative experiences to teach us lessons we would not have otherwise learned. We can transform our negative experiences into something that creates good. Our positive experiences are the foundation blocks of our confidence. Recall these positive moments and build on them.
If you’re feeling down, simple activities like:
Each of these tips can help those neurotransmitters do their job and raise your mood.
NOTE: When I get that down feeling I stop and make myself list ten things for which I’m grateful. I tap each finger as I list them. I then turn on some happy music. Before you know it I’m singing along and feeling like I can climb any mountain.
“Do good and good will come to you.”
~ Adam Lowy
Being an “influencer” on social media seems to be a big deal. In many ways we are all “influencers” each day of our lives. We may not be “reaching three million followers, but we are reaching something more important. We are reaching those we love. We are reaching those we work with. We are reaching those we live near. The fact that we are alive and in the presence of other people sets the stage for how we influence them. How do you want to influence those you love? How do you want to influence those you work with? How do you want to influence those you live near? Our actions, much more than our words, determine the direction and content of our influence. Influence for good. Influence for love.
