"Go quietly, Carry little."

Poetry, quotations, personal reflections from a lover of the wilderness, a lover of the silence....


Wednesday, January 7, 2009

"To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle." --George Orwell
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12 comments:

  1. ValJanuary 7, 2009 at 6:51 AM

    Is this open-ended or does it have a particular meaning for you?

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  2. AJanuary 7, 2009 at 7:31 AM

    Val,
    Well, I guess for me it's yet another expression I've come across that speaks to me of mindfulness, awareness, living intentionally, turning off the "auto-pilot", and being in the present moment, not off somewhere in my head.

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  3. ValJanuary 7, 2009 at 7:45 AM

    Yes, that's what I thought. Just making sure...
    Thanks!

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  4. The Solitary WalkerJanuary 7, 2009 at 8:15 AM

    Orwell was wonderful at trying to see what was in front of his nose - the life of tramps in London and Paris; the exploited coalminers in 'The Road To Wigan Pier'; lower middle-class pretensions in 'Keep The Aspidistra Flying', fascism/communism in '1984'...

    His use of English was a model of clarity and unprtentiousness. One of my literary heroes!

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  5. AJanuary 7, 2009 at 8:21 AM

    SW,
    Very good to know, thank you. I only know Orwell from 1984 and Animal Farm. Perhaps I need to dig a little deeper with him....

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  6. beth cioffolettiJanuary 7, 2009 at 8:28 AM

    That's also the byline of Andrew Sullivan, writer for the Atlantic magazine and blogger of the renowned "Daily Dish". He thinks out loud on his blog, analyzing current events (mostly politics) within the framework of his conservatism and religious leanings. I find him challenging as well as entertaining.

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  7. AJanuary 7, 2009 at 8:31 AM

    Beth,
    Well I was unaware that Sullivan uses that quote... :)
    I have heard a lot about Sullivan, but have not thus far made him a regular read.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2009 at 9:50 AM

    FW,
    i saw this quote recently and I have to disagree with it. I don't think it really requires a constant struggle...it just does until we realize there doesn't need to be a struggle and surrender to it. Us humans just love to do the ego dance, don't we?
    With metta,
    Molly

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  9. AJanuary 7, 2009 at 11:03 AM

    Molly,
    Well, some of us struggle more than others, probably. And perhaps some of us are only just learning other ways than struggle. And struggle is a strong word; would you object to the quotation if the word "work" was used instead? Or what about "effort." Is not some effort required for mindfulness? "Right effort"? ;)

    I appreciate another perspective. Thanks Molly, and as you say

    Metta

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  10. BarbaraJanuary 7, 2009 at 3:05 PM

    Like friend beth, I am a huge fan of The Daily Dish and this quote is his byline. I cannot separate one from the other any more.
    From my own tradition, this quote reminded me of the time the blind man was brought to Jesus and, eschewing the obvious, Jesus asked what he might do for the man. Reality has many, many levels, I think. We may "see" one level of what is in front of our noses, but it is not necessarily all that there is to "see." Reality can reveal itself over a lifetime and, probably, not entirely.

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  11. AJanuary 7, 2009 at 3:17 PM

    Barbara,
    I think there is definitely merit in your thoughts on this. More to ponder. Thank you.

    Hmmm, if I had know that this was the "byline" of a famous blogger, I might not have posted it. Well, I am (blissfully I guess) ignorant of such things....

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  12. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2009 at 9:27 AM

    Effort. I'll take effort. :)

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