“…It is very important to be idle with confidence, with devotion, possibly even with joy. The days when even our hands do not stir are so exceptionally quiet that it is hardly possible to raise them without hearing a whole lot.” Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters on Life, 1875-1926 It fulfils us in many different ways. […]
Gaetano Bellei, 1919, Rainy Day He believed that there are two elements that go into the composition of friendship.The first one is Truth. Emerson believed that a marker of real friendship is someone with whom we can be sincere. When he speaks of sincerity, Emerson means it in every sense. With a friend, we should […]
“…From this day forward we shall know That in ourselves our safety must be sought; That by our own right hands it must be wrought; That we must stand unpropped, or be laid low.” William Wordsworth, 1806, November There’s no doubt that life is difficult. We’re constantly presented with challenges and hardships which we’re expected […]
Temperance bearing an hourglass, 1338, detail Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good Government. From 1920 to 1933, it was illegal to produce and sell alcohol in the United States. It was largely the work of The Temperance Movement which led to the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment- criminalising the production, distribution or selling of alcohol. The Temperance […]
To a very real degree, how someone else feels, is not our responsibility. That is not meant in a flippant sense. It is not suggesting that we go around, behaving disgracefully towards people and upsetting them. It is suggesting however, that we should not appoint ourselves guardians of another person’s emotions. When we take on the […]
To experience the world through a pane of glass. To reach out and not be able to touch anything or anyone around you. To feel like a stranger in your own home. A brief account of Derealization. With quotes from Milton & Bronte And to the wounded- there will be further battles, but we shouldn’t […]
I am, like many people in the world I think, feeling significantly displaced. Hustle culture is a lie. It will ensure that you miss the most magical moments in life while pursuing the most menial. Although a characteristic often associated with the downtrodden, humility is in fact a gift granted to those willing to keep […]
“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” Henry David Thoreau, 1857, letter to Harrison Blake Professionals work fifty-hour work weeks in order to just stay afloat, while parents and homemakers live on their feet trying to cover the impossible number of daily tasks. Almost everyone believes […]
Do not judge. We are so quick to demonize others, when we ourselves hold our own depravities. We all have both darkness and light. Instead of the punishing thought process, perhaps we can do better. The final step being, we forgive ourselves. With quotes from Shakespeare, Buechner & more. In 1835, Rev. C. C. Vanarsdalen […]
Get out of your own way. Once the obstruction is released there is life that will flow. And this is the truth. Life still exists beyond what hinders us. With quotes from Tolstoy, Descartes, Schuller & Seneca. In Letter XXVIII of ‘Letters from a Stoic’, Seneca discusses the fallacy surrounding travel; what it achieves, and […]
Days of ceremonies are taking place, one of which includes the submission of the king before the god, Marduk. The chief priest goes to the main temple, cleansing and purifying it ahead of the ceremony. Upon entering the temple, the king is stripped of his crown and kingly attire. The priest leads the king, by […]
We so deeply need people that we often forget the importance of boundaries. But what are we giving up in surrendering our boundaries? Quotes from G. Fisher & more. What is our role? Like actors gracing the stage, every day we wake to a role; or to be more accurate, various roles. Quotes from Shakespeare, […]
Frederick de Wit, 17th century, Atlas Standing on Earth, Holding up the Heavens Responsibility is a loaded word, one that many people pull back from. It is something a lot of people desire to keep at bay as long as possible; a responsibility-free life is often a romanticised image. Why do we wish to avoid […]
A Personal Reflection | In Other Words
“Be sincere, Be brief, Be seated.” Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 – 1945) That’s because usually what I write about is something associated with the human experience so a collective ‘we’ makes sense. But I was reading Chesterton recently, and he said (and I am paraphrasing) that he had to speak of himself, because although it […]