- Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.
- The Past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshiped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness.
As always, My "Mute" Mondays aren't, but I got this nifty piece of code that let's me keep the pictures and the words separate so I guess I can put a little icing on the cake.
I woke up at 4:17 this morning. Not because I wanted to, but for the simple reason that my body, brain and mind wouldn't let me be. I am making an honest attempt to straighten out the kinks in my life. The stresses and pressures of faithfully analyzing myself are taking it's toll. There's a lot to fix at the moment. I am pretty certain that many of you who are reading this probably attempt the same thing on a regular basis.
What is the rubbery yardstick we use to gauge whether or not we are doing well?
Today's theme is greatness and I have been thinking about what makes a person great. The only definition I could come up with without looking in a dictionary is: The ability to act bravely and unselfishly thereby creating a positive legacy that improves the quality of life for people, all people.
I choose a few photographs of contemporary figures that I perceived to be great. I could have expanded the amount of subjects that I wanted to treat, but then I would be searching through Google image files for the next six weeks.
K.I.S.S!
Hope your week is a worthwhile one!
21 comments:
quite a collection of folks to go with the words there. nicely done.
Thanks, kiddo. Will drop by in a bit to see what you are up to.
Well I have to admit that I didn't recognise Kubrik or Vonnegut from their photos.
What rubber yardstick? Well it certainly is rubber, because the healthier I get, the higher is the bar...but I test whether I can face myself in the mirror and whether I can sleep at night. Another good indicator for me is the body - when my back hurts or the weight goes up, something is off kilter.
we are never fully aware until we are self-realised. When that happens, we turn to dust anyway - so enjoy the journey :)
xx
pinks
Oh I see a boxer in those pictures! Happy MM.
Misplaced!! Let me address some of those who came to spoil the muteness of your Monday here!
Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.
William Shakespeare,
Dear Mr Shakespeare. Those who are born great or have had greatness thrust upon them , are most likely to lose it, since they got it as a gift. & what is given can be taken away! Only those who ACHIEVED it will get to keep it, since only that which has been earned can never be lost!
The Past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshiped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness.
Pierre Trudeau
Dear Mr Pierre Trudeau. The past is to be dropped, because in order to move we have to drop all conditionings. In my experience, nobody is being nourished by it, so there is no need to hold to it. It does not allow you to be new, young & contemporary as it keeps pulling you back. It is not something friendly to you, but a parasite in fact, which you carry within you because of old habits.It is very difficult to drop the past, because to drop it would mean to drop your whole identity, the whole personality, or yourself as uptil now you have been nothing but your conditionings. Dropping it would be like peeling off your skin & not just taking off your clothes.
But the moment you see that you are carrying something destructive inside you, it becomes easy to get rid of the past & the moment you are discontinuous with your past, you have freedom to grow.
On the other hand, Future is not yet come, so it is just imagination to 'seek' greatness there. The only thing that is REALLY there is the present & its only in the present that you can find your greatness!
There NYD! I have reprimanded these guys for spoiling your muteness with their chatter!
Nice greats. Far more cerebral than my more eclectic offering. But then I was a Mute Monday virgin so I'll try to do better next time :)
Fabulous set of greats, Happy MM!
Great photos and mostly great choices. Especially Mr. Robinson. Happy Mute Monday!
Thanks for putting Vonnegut here. I met him once on the LIRR! His novels arent taught as much in high school English anymore, but I always made it a point to teach SlaughterHouse 5. Happy MM!
Pink~ If ya can look at yer visage by day and sleep weel at night than you are way ahead of the game. Unfortunately I haven't been able to do either of them things for quite some time.
AB~ Not just any boxer. That is the one and only Joe Louis!
Mona~ You are by far the most vociferous of commenters and I applaud you willingness to come to my defence on many a post and enlighten us with your erudition.
I am pretty sure that Bill wasn't referring to the everlasting qualities of greatness but rather to the method by which we achieve it. That was the feeling I got when I saw the play. The past I agree is an anchor, yet it is, I believe, a necessary one. For without out past and experiences then we are nothing more than capricios changelings. Tradition and custom has it's place, but not at the expense of dreams and fufilment.
Cake~ We all do our things in our own way. I wish I could look as yummy as you do though.
Kate~ Thank you ma'am, can I have another.
Troll~ I appreciate the compliment and so does Mrs. Robinson.
Thursnext~They don't teach Vonnegut in school anymore?
Say it ain't so!
I would love to have been able to shake the man's hand and share a word or two. You are most fortunate.
I like the blank canvas best. DIY greatness! Happy MM!
kubrick was close to where i was going. i found a clip from the shining which is the most elegant horror film ever made....and when i saw the twins at the overlook (came and play with us danny) i thought of diane arbus and the rest is history.
sometimes we run kubrick clips on a big projection screen at the warehouse for party background imagery
all great choices. happy MM!
Those are good!!!
I saw an HBO documentary on Joe Louis' life. Anyway, I know that feeling that you were talking about. I tend to be incredibly harsh on myself and I need to find another way.
Think of all the great things done by those overlooked by history or recognition and the fact that none of the people involved stepped up to say "look at me, look at what I did" confirms their greatness...
Lovely and graceful MM. :D
Fred Rogers!
Moi~ Thanks for noticing.
She~ That must be one kick ass freaky party
Leigh~ Thanks, and welcome.
Grunt~ Me too! Life treats us badly enough. We shouldn't go around beating ourseves up too.
VE~ Great point, buddy.
There is an awful amount of awe inspiring and sefless acts occuring everyday.
That is what the picture frame is for.
Raven~ Howdy! Thanks for dropping by.
Kurt~ It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...
It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,
A neighborly day for a beauty.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...
I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please,
Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?
Dinky, my dog, is great and she had it thrust upon her. Hey, Shakespeare's right.
That's a beautiful Wall of Fame. As much as I adore Shakespeare, I'm enamoured of Trudeau's words, too. Not for the same reason Corn Dog is; my dog ain't all that bright.:)
I loved this...these are some of MY greats too..
excellent!
HUGS!
Post a Comment