A better way to live
I got this from my friend Shaun who posted it in his notes in Facebook:
A BETTER WAY TO LIVE
Did you know...?
That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head
of the army that liberated France from the English?
That church reformer John Calvin was twenty-six when he published
his "Institutes" ?
That poet John Keats died when he was twenty-six?
That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left
English literature his classic "Odes"?
That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law
of gravitation when he was twenty-three?
That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser, " was sent to the United
States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of
Representatives at thirty-four?
That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five
and thirty?
That Mozart only lived to be thirty-five years old?
Maybe I'm just a late bloomer.
When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few
years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most
things happen.
Unfortunately, these days I usually have no idea what is happening.
Of course, most of us will never paint a masterpiece, write a
classic or discover an important scientific principle. But why
should we? We're each cut from a unique pattern.
Dick Van Dyke once told the story of a woman taking her nephew to
her Catholic church. She whispered to him as they approached the
pew: "Can you genuflect?"
"No," he said, "but I can somersault!"
I wonder if he showed her.right then and there. I can almost see him
rolling down the aisle in a joyous celebration of the thing he CAN
do, with no regard for genuflecting. the thing he cannot do.
Some people waste lives obsessing on that thing they cannot do,
wishing they were more competent. And some measure the value of
their abilities against those of others, wishing they could
contribute in a bigger and better way.
You and I may never be a Mozart, a Raphael or a John Keats. But
there are things you CAN do to bring beauty or joy or happiness to
your world. Find them. Do them. Celebrate them. Rejoice in them.
I can hardly think of a better way to live.
Makes you think, yes? And definitely makes you feel better about your current life, and more content. There is nothing wrong with wanting more out of yourself, but instead of wallowing in self pity about stuff you are not able to do, that you don't have the talent for, be happy with what you CAN do.
I've always wanted to be able to write well, or have a musical talent, to be able to write songs. I know I will never be able to compose any music (while you can always learn how to play music, it's a bit tough trying to get creative and actually compose one).
As for writing, I know my command of the language isn't that great. I mean, you read about great writers, they have their style, their command of the language is brilliant. And they do have a story to tell.
But who cares? I can write in my own little "style" if that's what you call it, and it makes me happy. And I can always grow and get better at it. Or not. As long as I'm happy right?
And my imagination, no one else can have the same imagination as I do, and that alone is way better than all the fame and achievements of these other individuals who are successful at a young age.
Big smiles.
A BETTER WAY TO LIVE
Did you know...?
That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head
of the army that liberated France from the English?
That church reformer John Calvin was twenty-six when he published
his "Institutes" ?
That poet John Keats died when he was twenty-six?
That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left
English literature his classic "Odes"?
That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law
of gravitation when he was twenty-three?
That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser, " was sent to the United
States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of
Representatives at thirty-four?
That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five
and thirty?
That Mozart only lived to be thirty-five years old?
Maybe I'm just a late bloomer.
When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few
years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most
things happen.
Unfortunately, these days I usually have no idea what is happening.
Of course, most of us will never paint a masterpiece, write a
classic or discover an important scientific principle. But why
should we? We're each cut from a unique pattern.
Dick Van Dyke once told the story of a woman taking her nephew to
her Catholic church. She whispered to him as they approached the
pew: "Can you genuflect?"
"No," he said, "but I can somersault!"
I wonder if he showed her.right then and there. I can almost see him
rolling down the aisle in a joyous celebration of the thing he CAN
do, with no regard for genuflecting. the thing he cannot do.
Some people waste lives obsessing on that thing they cannot do,
wishing they were more competent. And some measure the value of
their abilities against those of others, wishing they could
contribute in a bigger and better way.
You and I may never be a Mozart, a Raphael or a John Keats. But
there are things you CAN do to bring beauty or joy or happiness to
your world. Find them. Do them. Celebrate them. Rejoice in them.
I can hardly think of a better way to live.
Makes you think, yes? And definitely makes you feel better about your current life, and more content. There is nothing wrong with wanting more out of yourself, but instead of wallowing in self pity about stuff you are not able to do, that you don't have the talent for, be happy with what you CAN do.
I've always wanted to be able to write well, or have a musical talent, to be able to write songs. I know I will never be able to compose any music (while you can always learn how to play music, it's a bit tough trying to get creative and actually compose one).
As for writing, I know my command of the language isn't that great. I mean, you read about great writers, they have their style, their command of the language is brilliant. And they do have a story to tell.
But who cares? I can write in my own little "style" if that's what you call it, and it makes me happy. And I can always grow and get better at it. Or not. As long as I'm happy right?
And my imagination, no one else can have the same imagination as I do, and that alone is way better than all the fame and achievements of these other individuals who are successful at a young age.
Big smiles.
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