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"Go quietly, Carry little."
Poetry, quotations, personal reflections from a lover of the wilderness, a lover of the silence....
Poetry, quotations, personal reflections from a lover of the wilderness, a lover of the silence....
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More About Me
Wisdom?/Humor?/Reality?/Hope.
"More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly." ~Woody Allen
"Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse." ~Lily Tomlin
"We must face the prospect of changing our basic ways of living. This change will either be made on our own initiative in a planned way, or forced on us with chaos and suffering by the inexorable laws of nature." ~Jimmy Carter
One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards." ~Edward Abbey, from a speech to environmentalists in Missoula, Montana in 1978 and in Colorado, which was published in High Country News under the title "Joy, Shipmates, Joy."
"What I fear most is despair
for the world and us: forever less
of beauty, silence, open air,
gratitude, unbidden happiness,
affection, unegotistical desire
~Wendell Berry, from IX, Sabbaths 1998, in Given
"Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse." ~Lily Tomlin
"We must face the prospect of changing our basic ways of living. This change will either be made on our own initiative in a planned way, or forced on us with chaos and suffering by the inexorable laws of nature." ~Jimmy Carter
One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards." ~Edward Abbey, from a speech to environmentalists in Missoula, Montana in 1978 and in Colorado, which was published in High Country News under the title "Joy, Shipmates, Joy."
"What I fear most is despair
for the world and us: forever less
of beauty, silence, open air,
gratitude, unbidden happiness,
affection, unegotistical desire
~Wendell Berry, from IX, Sabbaths 1998, in Given
Followers
All respects to Joseph Campbell, but I don't think he's right about us not changing the world. I do agree with him that our job is to straighten out our lives, but I believe that work will lead to a better world.
ReplyDeleteThe poet, Robert Lax, says that the real challenge in life is to bring out the best in whoever you know, starting with yourself. Somehow, Lax's wording feel less harsh...
Beth,
ReplyDeleteYep. I don't disagree with you. I did say I was just pondering. Thanks for reading and commenting, friend.
I agree with Joseph Campbell. But I guess the way I see it is, if *everyone* took his advice and 'straightened out their own lives', *that* would make the world less of a mess. It wouldn't even take everyone, just more of us. But ultimately the only one we can control is ourselves, which I reckon was his point.
ReplyDeleteIf you take 'straighten out your life' to mean act in the world mindfully and with compassion.
Just a thought...
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI think you nailed it. I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Right on, Amy!
ReplyDeleteSo much of the 'mess' is the projection of our unowned shadow energies. This is partly what Campbell is referring to - that we should each address and heal (clean up) our own repressed shadow material and ... and the world will hopefully mirror our change.
ReplyDeleteHaving picked out a couple of your posts to read, I find myself in agreement with much of your philosophy - especially that of being a lover of nature, silence and a mindful approach to life. After a strict religious upbringing I am now (though I too hate reducing myself into a label) an agnostic. I embrace Taoist philosophy as a very sophisticated psychology and take a fairly existential approach to daily life.
Love the gentle Harris quote in one of your more recent posts.
Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your visit and your comment. And also for some additional explication of the Campbell quotation. I am wondering how you came across my blog. :)
Peace to you and I hope you'll visit again.