Words mean things. Words nature and inspire. In past comments I have linked to "IF" by Rudyard Kipling. I would submit that maybe we should, occasionally look at words or things that inspire others even if we don't agree with them. My undergraduate degree is in political science with a history minor. I read many words that I strongly disagree with. I read Marx (a little) Mao, Che Guevara and others,, but never became a communist. Reading Mein Kampf won't make you a nazi. Reading the Koran didn't make me a Muslim. Reading these things let me see what was important to millions of people. Even if I didn't like what I read I got a glimpse into ideologies that inspired people. I gained context and insight.
Words are so important because they can inspire us, enlighten us, make us happy or sad, and
sometimes make us mad and angry at others as unfortunately, some politicians are trying to do, while other politicians are using words to encourage people to feel joy and love for others and for all the creatures on our troubled planet.
Here are some words that are special to me, because to me they can enlighten and inspire us about how the journey of life is sometimes bumpy and sometimes smooth, but in the end it is OUR journey of knowing ourselves for the first time:
What a beautiful post! I actually also love how this post LOOKS. :) I’m relatively new to Substack, so I’m really tuning in to deciphering why I like the posts I do. (I’ve cross-posted a few essays from my personal site, but right now, I’m mainly here to read, comment and make new pals.) What grabs me is your creative use of fonts and type size! It makes the essay a breeze to read, which means I enjoy it all the more. As for my favorite words? Where do I begin? Right now, it’s Substack words, I suppose. I keep thinking how wonderful it is to hear so many voices, who I otherwise would never know about! In this crazy age of such divisive words, Substack is a new refuge for me that I open up every morning. I’m glad I found you!
Fascinating meditation this morning Deborah, thank you. The words that provide me with the most guidance are also Biblical: Matthew 22: 39, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I've found these repeated in many other places, almost an underlying theme for songwriters, novelists, poets, even the occasional politician waxing philosophical. With that guidance, although it's imperfectly met in my case, all other words are either supportive or can be easily dismissed as detracting from my life goal which is to leave here having made things a little better during my tenure. I have learned from everything I've ever read, and the major learning is that words have meaning and, if that meaning is perverted as it all too often is in current civic discourse, the word becomes at best useless, and, at worst, dangerous. The value of your comments today is in reminding all of us to be careful of the meaning of the words we hear and use, especially those that have the power to impact other people.
I've also had occasion to read Marx (Karl) who I found tedious, pieces from the Little Red Book, and very limited selections from Mein Kampf without being swayed by any of their arguments. I did find, apropos Fred's comment, that reading the Qur'an brought me to the realization that we're all Muslims in the sense that whatever faith tradition we follow, it's a result of God's will and there is, after all, only one God, whatever language we use in talking about it. As Fred also notes, the insight and context gained from reading and hearing things that are fundamentally important to other people has almost certainly made me a better person, or at least easier to share a planet with.
In respect of the cell phone conversation, I'm old enough not to consider mine an appendage and had the impact brought home by a woman who worked for me as a server at my last hotel job. She was outstanding at her job, very self-possessed and self-aware, and a powerful asset to the operation under most circumstances; one day, however, she got to work, discovered that she'd left her phone at home, and came completely undone to the point where I had to send her home because she literally could not focus on anything other than the missing digit. That convinced me that the convenience, which is undoubted, wasn't worth the addiction and, to this day, I can leave the house without it although I rarely do since it's also become my wallet in a significant way.
It is really important to say what you want out loud or you don’t realize how you are talking to yourself. It can be a blast saying all the things that are happening
Thank you, those words, spoken 65 years ago were forever imprinted on my mind. The words were spoken at the end of a class as the bell rang and even though the Professor was in mid sentence everyone, except me sitting in the front row, immediately slammed their books closed and the Prof with his head down peered up from his glasses and said softly to himself “motivation is the secret of it all”
Words mean things. Words nature and inspire. In past comments I have linked to "IF" by Rudyard Kipling. I would submit that maybe we should, occasionally look at words or things that inspire others even if we don't agree with them. My undergraduate degree is in political science with a history minor. I read many words that I strongly disagree with. I read Marx (a little) Mao, Che Guevara and others,, but never became a communist. Reading Mein Kampf won't make you a nazi. Reading the Koran didn't make me a Muslim. Reading these things let me see what was important to millions of people. Even if I didn't like what I read I got a glimpse into ideologies that inspired people. I gained context and insight.
In the heart of the night
The moonlight framing
a small boat drifting,
Tossed not by waves
Nor swayed by the breeze. Dozen
WHEN THE VIOLIN
When
the violin
can forgive the past
It starts singing.
When the violin
stops worrying about the future
You will become
Such a drunk laughing nuisance
That God will lean down
and start combing you into
His
Hair.
When the violin can forgive
Every wound caused by
Others
The heart starts singing. Hafiz
Love is the only thing that matters,
all else is a distraction
to keep you
from finding
Love. George Neidorf
Words are so important because they can inspire us, enlighten us, make us happy or sad, and
sometimes make us mad and angry at others as unfortunately, some politicians are trying to do, while other politicians are using words to encourage people to feel joy and love for others and for all the creatures on our troubled planet.
Here are some words that are special to me, because to me they can enlighten and inspire us about how the journey of life is sometimes bumpy and sometimes smooth, but in the end it is OUR journey of knowing ourselves for the first time:
“What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
We die with the dying:
See, they depart and bring us with them.
We are born with the dead:
See, they return and bring us with them.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time. “
by T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
"The balance on your loan account is zero dollars." - from the telephone banking system at my credit union.
Great thanks for the input!
I’m asking myself how do I describe, that the light stays in!
@Debora Hall
Thanks for your like!
What’s your reply?
What a beautiful post! I actually also love how this post LOOKS. :) I’m relatively new to Substack, so I’m really tuning in to deciphering why I like the posts I do. (I’ve cross-posted a few essays from my personal site, but right now, I’m mainly here to read, comment and make new pals.) What grabs me is your creative use of fonts and type size! It makes the essay a breeze to read, which means I enjoy it all the more. As for my favorite words? Where do I begin? Right now, it’s Substack words, I suppose. I keep thinking how wonderful it is to hear so many voices, who I otherwise would never know about! In this crazy age of such divisive words, Substack is a new refuge for me that I open up every morning. I’m glad I found you!
“Earth is the best place for love,
I don’t know where it’s likely that go better.
Robert Frost “Birches”
Fascinating meditation this morning Deborah, thank you. The words that provide me with the most guidance are also Biblical: Matthew 22: 39, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I've found these repeated in many other places, almost an underlying theme for songwriters, novelists, poets, even the occasional politician waxing philosophical. With that guidance, although it's imperfectly met in my case, all other words are either supportive or can be easily dismissed as detracting from my life goal which is to leave here having made things a little better during my tenure. I have learned from everything I've ever read, and the major learning is that words have meaning and, if that meaning is perverted as it all too often is in current civic discourse, the word becomes at best useless, and, at worst, dangerous. The value of your comments today is in reminding all of us to be careful of the meaning of the words we hear and use, especially those that have the power to impact other people.
I've also had occasion to read Marx (Karl) who I found tedious, pieces from the Little Red Book, and very limited selections from Mein Kampf without being swayed by any of their arguments. I did find, apropos Fred's comment, that reading the Qur'an brought me to the realization that we're all Muslims in the sense that whatever faith tradition we follow, it's a result of God's will and there is, after all, only one God, whatever language we use in talking about it. As Fred also notes, the insight and context gained from reading and hearing things that are fundamentally important to other people has almost certainly made me a better person, or at least easier to share a planet with.
In respect of the cell phone conversation, I'm old enough not to consider mine an appendage and had the impact brought home by a woman who worked for me as a server at my last hotel job. She was outstanding at her job, very self-possessed and self-aware, and a powerful asset to the operation under most circumstances; one day, however, she got to work, discovered that she'd left her phone at home, and came completely undone to the point where I had to send her home because she literally could not focus on anything other than the missing digit. That convinced me that the convenience, which is undoubted, wasn't worth the addiction and, to this day, I can leave the house without it although I rarely do since it's also become my wallet in a significant way.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
It is really important to say what you want out loud or you don’t realize how you are talking to yourself. It can be a blast saying all the things that are happening
“Motivation is the secret of it all” , spoken by my History/Gov’t Professor Dr Clifford Barrows.
Thank you, those words, spoken 65 years ago were forever imprinted on my mind. The words were spoken at the end of a class as the bell rang and even though the Professor was in mid sentence everyone, except me sitting in the front row, immediately slammed their books closed and the Prof with his head down peered up from his glasses and said softly to himself “motivation is the secret of it all”
Words are like instant coffee is to coffee beans.