He went on to tell me that he too hoped to be a writer. He supplied a list of possible titles, most of which were obscene, blasphemous, or otherwise indecent. Each of his titles were intended to reference the unspecified incident that landed him in prison.
The diversity of the movies I ended up seeing came about entirely because I watched without judgement whatever was showing on any given Saturday afternoon at the Parma Theater.
Fortunately, that randomness supplied better films to me than my teenage tastes could ever have managed.
We can honor Rick’s memory best by doing as he did. Suffer our sorrows with grace, Do good whenever we can. Be grateful for the blessings we have.
That’s what Rick would like.
Cutting to the heart of the problem is easier when you realize the problem is other than it seems.
I tend to avoid conflicts. I’ve no concern about winning because there’s nothing I want to win. When confronted, I usually say nothing. If possible, I walk away. Some say I remind them of a turtle. If my way is the way of the turtle, is the turtle my spirit-animal?
Time is always on the side of the writer. Downtime may be needed to recharge.
Next morning I opened the door to the deck outside to feed the birds. Grey and Calico galloped out. Jack stood at the doorsill looking doubtful. After a while he put a tentative paw on the sill. I had the impression he may have never been outside.
A great deal of the Quran echoes what is said in both the Torah and the Christian Bible; all three books preach fairness and benevolence.
The exception between them is that the good teachings of the Torah and Christian Bible apply to all of God’s children, while the good teachings of the Quran apply only to the followers of Allah.
Everyone else is promised Jihad: continuous ho[y war until every Infidel is scourged from the Earth
Endurance is noble. That thought means nothing to the grief-stricken. It should mean something to those around them. The nobility of suffering should not be disrespected by those who imagine suffering an aberration to be cured. Suffering may be the only condition guaranteed in this life.
Progress always travels with unpleasant offspring. Cutting-edge technology cuts both ways. I suppose there's nothing to be done about the consequences. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - although, nothing ventured, nothing ruined, is also true.
I have some entirely unreliable thoughts about four particular Eras. Worse yet, I'm shamelessly appropriating the large idea of Era to describe smaller ideas about shorter-lived cultural enthusiasms. I say, the time of the season is an Era.
Satan's target is the individual human soul. The human soul is sovereign. Groups are an abstraction. A human soul bound to a group is no longer sovereign. Souls enmeshed in group abstraction no longer think for themselves. The group thinks for them.
Local weather-reports could be standardized: "42° Fahrenheit, more-or-less, rain, snow, and violent winds expected". The forecast rarely varies: cold, wet, stormy and overcast.
I decided years ago to walk with God. My walk may be wobbly, but I do the best I can. When I can't do good, I try at least to avoid doing harm. It's not much, but It's something. It's also calming. God's in charge, not me.
Still, Wolf wondered philosophically. If both Ram and Lamb were Sheep, why didn’t they taste the same?
Even though Wolf had never actually tasted Stag, Wolf assumed Stag would taste as bad as Ram because Stag put up the same bothersome fuss as Ram.
I said this world is a phantasma. I didn't say nothing is real. Souls are real. God is real. Satan is real. Satan's demons, and God's angels are real. Everything else isn't.
This world is an elaborate stage show designed to reveal the talent of each actor - that is, each soul.
Tom was six-foot something and well over two hundred pounds. Tom was large. I was small. Despite the Mut & Jeff appearance, we were the best of friends.
I remember trouble with a few bullies in middle school. I don't remember any trouble with bullies in high school. I'm pretty sure that's because Tom was usually towering behind me.
Preternatural wisdom in a young person can convince that person they know it all. They don't. Only the bumps and bruises of the years will allow schooled wisdom to penetrate to the bone.
Tales of human becoming animal and then back again are older than the Stone Age. Every paleolithic culture in the world has their own version, including modern-day paleolithic cultures from Siberia to the Amazon.