When I was a small kid my mom would me tales of a fictional character named Maurice Quinlin. All of the tales took place in the Maine woods. She was very good at it. I hung on to every word to find out if Maurice Quinlin escaped from the wolves or bears. Imagine my dreams those nights!! I looked forward to her telling me those stories. I outgrew Maurice Quinlin and knew the stories were all made up. These days we have to separate truth from fiction when we hear some politicians. It’s not too hard to do when the stories they tell are absurdly false. Be wise and discern.
truth
Today’s Thought: Are You Nuts?
I like to stream music as I do my early morning exercises. I was in the middle of stretching when a Willie Nelson song played. A phrase in the song stopped my stretching activity. I got up from the floor and put the phrase into my notes app on my iPhone. The phrase was, “There’s your side. There’s my side. Then there’s the truth.” I laughed out loud as I wrote and said, “That’s for sure.” How many times do we get locked into a debate believing we’ve got the truth and the other side is nuts because they can’t see the truth. They’re probably thinking the same thing about you and me. It’s always good to keep searching, to keep questioning.
Today’s Poem: Life’s Mirror by Madeline S. Bridges
Life’s Mirror
Madeline S. Bridges
There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best that you have,
And the best will come back to you.
Give love, and love to your life will flow,
A strength in your utmost need;
Have faith, and a score of hearts will show
Their faith in your work and deed.
Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind,
And honor will honor meet;
And the smile which is sweet will surely find
A smile that is just as sweet.
Give sorrow and pity to those who mourn;
You will gather in flowers again
The scattered seeds from your thought outborne
Though the sowing seemed but vain.
For life is the mirror of king and slave,
‘Tis just what we are and do;
Then give to the world the best that you have
And the best will come back to you.
Today’s Poem: Truth by Carlos Drummond de Andrade
Truth
Carlos Drummond de Andrade
The door of truth was open,
but only let pass
half of a person each time.
Thus, it was impossible to reach the whole truth,
for the half of a person who passed by
brought only the profile of half truth
and their own second half.
Carrying half profiles when leaving,
and the half profiles, did not match the truth.
They broke the door.
They knocked down the door.
Arrived at the bright place
where the truth sparkled its fires.
It was divided in halves,
two different parts.
There was a question, which one
was the prettiest.
None of the two was really beautiful
and it was necessary to choose.
And choices were made according their whims,
their illusions,
their myopia.
Today’s Inspiring Quote: The Truth is Always Important
When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.
Who Am I? A Poem by Carl Sandburg
Who Am I?
Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Speak for Honesty, Truth, and Compassion
So, never be afraid. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, against injustice and lying and greed. . . . as individuals, men and women, you will change the earth.
William Faulkner
Today’s Inspiring Quote is About Unchanging Truth
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
Flannery O’Connor
Inspiring Quote About Telling the Truth
When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.
Thomas Sowell
Thinking Out Loud: Dare to Speak the Truth
Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Boris Pasternack’s work, Dr. Zhivago.
“Ordinarily, people are anxious to test their theories in practice, to learn from experience, but those who wield power are so anxious to establish the myth of their own infallibility that they turn back on truth as squarely as they can. Politics mean nothing to me. I don’t like people who are indifferent to the truth.”
Note: Searching for and speaking the truth is a dangerous journey. Historically, people who have dared speak the truth are martyred. The adage “the truth hurts” often does to the one speaking the truth. They are guilty of naming what is happening, of cutting away the fog from the evil that is being committed in the name of truth. It happens at a national level where tyrants name the truth and those who speak out claiming that the truth spoken by the tyrant is a lie are destroyed. It happens in every social unit where there is oppression. When someone confronts the oppressor with the truth, the oppressor strikes out, often violently. Grateful for the courageous people who dare to speak the truth because the truth to them is more important than the threats from the oppressor.
