The Proverbial Axe

As an Infection
Is expunged from the body,
By such means is health preserved;
That is nature's way.

Is it not our obligation
To rise above nature
And to cultivate
Rather than eliminate?

How much more fruitful is an acre
When toiled and labored,
Planned meticulously,
Than when left to its own devices?

Only when a stone is squared well
Will it find its place
As part of a greater construct.

Before we cut off a limb,
Perhaps we should treat the wound?

It is fine to cut out a cancer,
Until you see all your problems as cancers.

Angel of Light

As the sun sets
And cloud blankets Earth
I stand upon a mountain
Looking down upon
God's Creation

And like a sweetly singing angel
A voice, lucent in the dusk,
A song sings the wind,
Brushes the plains,
Kisses His Work
With gentle blessings.

And that Precious Gift,
Womb of our very civilization
Breathes deeply and sighs,
The sweet exhalation
Of God Himself.

TANSTAAFL!

Interesting video with both bits of libertarianism and a bit of commentary on The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, one of Heinlein's greatest literary achievements. Also worth noting that this canon was fired at the Heinlein's Fourth of July ceremonies for many, many years. I don't believe they really mention it, but the canon in the story was actually a reference to the Texas Revolution and The Battle of Gonzales.



Robert Heinlein tends to be one you either love or hate. Personally, I'm a fan.

The Square of Virtue

I did not compose this, rather I found it in a forum I peruse regularly posted by a moderator. It's usually listed as anonymous, although I've found some sources say it was likely composed by Joseph Fort Newton. I found it particularly affecting.


"That Fellow's On the Square"


It matters not whate'er your lot 
or what your task may be 
One duty there remains for you, 
One duty stands for me. 
Be you a doctor skilled and wise, 
Or do your work for wage, 
A labourer upon the street, 
An artist on the stage; 
One glory still awaits for you. 
One honour that is fair, 
To have men say as you pass by: 
"That fellow's on the square."

Ah, here's a phrase that stands for much, 
Tis good old English, too; 
It means that men have confidence 
In everything you do. 
It means that what you have you've earned, 
And that you've done your best 
And when you go to sleep at night 
Untroubled you may rest. 
It means that conscience is your guide, 
And honour is your care; 
There is no greater praise than this: 
"That fellow's on the square."

And when I die I would not wish 
A lengthy epitaph; 
I do not want a headstone large, 
Carved with fulsome chaff. 
Pick out no single deed of mine, 
If such a deed there be, 
To 'grave upon my monument, 
For those who come to see. 
Just this one phrase of all I choose, 
To show my life was fair: 
"Here sleepeth now a fellow who 
Was always on the square." - Anon

Flicker

At what point does a candle burn brightest?
When with veracity and splendor,
When with passioned heat and flame,
How noble might be its light,
How true its form?
At what point the elegance so exact
That one mar might snuff its light?

At what point is a candle?

Or does it flame eternal?
Does its light illume eternity,
A chorus of rays
Splendorous in their beacon?
As one flame pierces the dark,
How much more a legion?

Is candle light eternal?

Verdant Valley

As the sun riseth over green hills of Earth,
(As a soprano sweetly kissing a note),
God's Creation doth reveal itself
In its purest form , a Vineyard of Life,
Unspoilt and fertile,
Beautiful in its nature and
Natural in its beauty
An organism unto itself
It may well be
The Face of God.

Stolen Inspirations

How does a poem mean?

As a heartbeat flutter
Blood rushing to the limbs
Fight or flight reaction?

Scholastic monk, solemn in thought,
Devout in mind-works
Praying for inspiration?

Or rational philosopher,
Paradigm of Reason, Logic,
Man of the arts, sciences, ages?

I think they mean best by candle light.

Wings of Wax or Soaring Above Babel

Who can find fault in Daedalus?
What sin had he,
Except that of a dreamer's heart?

Who condemns ambitions to soar,
Aspirations to fly,
Escaping one's confines, dreams of
Becoming
Something more?

What was his sin?
Surely it was he, in Icarus,
Who lost all?
Tell me, where resides the
Cautionary Tale?

The Golden Rule

Christ said to treat your neighbor
As you would be treated in kind
And to love God with
All your being.

As we are created in God's image,
Gifted with the Divine Spark,
Should we not also
Love our fellow man
With our being, entire?
For how can we love God
Without loving His cherished
Creation?

I think it poorly contrived
That initial disposition of
Man to extend his will
Over fellow man.

Any and all powers enacted by the majority
Will surely burn brightly, flames of oppression
When minority is such no longer.

It is downright foolish conceit
That presumes intellectual infallibility

Surely it is just to live and let live?

Beautiful Night in Canyon

It's an absolutely gorgeous and still night outside. Very silent and quite. Completely undisturbed. One of the nights that will make me miss Canyon. Neither too hot nor too cold. Still. Fresh. The kind of night that makes you want to wake up early the next morning to see the sun rise. (Not that I will... far too late into the morning for that.)

Makes me realize how close I am to my time in Canyon (and in college) coming to a close. And being out there alone, it's easy to reflect upon all the evenings I've spent out there with friends. Over the summer, 4th of July with fraternity brothers. Evenings after exec councils. (And sometimes followed by a visit to my girlfriend when we first started dating and were both super busy.)

It's easy, with the Panhandle wind and incredibly unpredictable weather, to overlook evenings like this. So I'm glad I was able to appreciate at least one more while I'm here. Probably won't be the last, but I don't really know that.

You only live once.

Stolen from Facebook

I originally wrote this October 13, 2009, but felt it could and should be reposted. On some level, I've very proud of this little paragraph, something I truly believe and still resonates in me. I don't think I have come close to achieving it, nor will I ever, but it's always something I'd like to keep in my heart and hope to ever strive for.

I will say, it was largely inspired by The Four Agreements and its aftermath on my outlook on the world, though I've been influenced by many things since then, and this still holds true. I hope others can find some truth in it as well.

---

Imagine how beautiful life would be if you looked at everyone around you, and chose to love them a little bit more each day.

Imagine if you actively chose to look past flaws, find people's strengths, and revel in the glory and beauty of their individuality. Imagine if you did everything you could to cultivate those things worthy in life and use them as foundations for new skills, strengths, passions, and beauties.

Imagine how beautiful life would be if you were to wake up and declare, "Hate has no place in my life. I live for creation, the uplifting on mankind, the love of others, the compassion that I am capable of. It is not a duty, nor an obligation, but a choice to arbitrate peace and love between everyone in my life. I choose not to ostracize others as pariahs, but to love them unconditionally and cultivate the beauty in their life and my own."

Everyone has a capacity to do great harm with their words, to destroy relationships and leave people emotionally desolate. It is a survival instinct to lash out, demean, condescend, to do anything to make oneself feel superior to another. Everyone does it, often times without realizing it.

Imagine how beautiful life would be if, every time we felt a negative emotion, be it anger, frustration, disgust, hate (the vilest of all negative emotions), we stepped back and scolded ourselves and said, "How can I show my love for this person? How can I encourage the good *without* demeaning someone just as valuable, worthy of love and respect, as myself?"

What if we made the proactive choice to set a positive example, realizing we control our fate, our mood, no one else? If we feel negative because of someone else's actions, it is our individual responsibility to find the positive emotion from it, the positive situation in it, and to encourage a greater good. How beautiful would life be if, instead of expecting others to set a cheery world for us, we looked around and saw the world as cheery and beautiful for what it is?

We are the masters of our emotions, moods, fate, lives. We are the instigators of everything around us, whether we like it or not. Our every word, our every action, echoes and ripples through the social net that surrounds us. We have a choice to cultivate beauty, or to dwell on negativity. Happiness, beauty, and love of your fellow man are all choices, each one having a profound implication on our lives and the lives of those around us.

It's a struggle for me to avoid those negative emotions every day. It's a change in my mindset, and I'm a totally different person from a year ago because of it, and the change isn't finished. But its a beautiful change to make, and one I hope to inject into my life a little bit more each day.

So, I say again: Imagine how beautiful life would be if you looked at everyone around you, and chose to love them a little bit more each day.