So this dead old guy named Ralph Waldo Emerson tried to shake up things in the early-to-mid 1800's. He believed that living a life where your goal was to get the most stuff, was not a life worth living. So rejected that way of living and sought after a simplier life, finding truth in things other than things. A pretty radical idea at the time and even more radical today. He was writer and said something one time that strikes me as life changing and extraordinary. Here is what he said:
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared with what lies within us."
Think about your day today. Were you focused on the past...something that happened yesterday or that was said to you. Were you focused on the future...what your going to do tomorrow or even 20 years from now.
This old dead guy (wasn't dead when he said the quote) is challenging me and you to use our days to deepen our character and our souls.
Are you deeper now than you were when you woke up?
There's time left.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
yo campbell tho emerson was ok he wasnt as good as therou sorry if his name is spelled wrong in my opinon ralph was more of a person that can be described as a person with all bark no bite haha cause didnt therou get thrown into jail for not paying a tax for something he didnt believe in i think it was the texas war but anyhow im going to miss u as a teacher coah campbell
I think your missing the point Zack. And actually if you read the book about the night Henry David spent in jail you'll see that he looked up to Emerson. Emerson actually had went through alot and he was becoming old and senile when Henry got locked up. But either way they were good friends and borrowed off of each other alot.
But I don't think thats what Campbell is asking. Just examining the quote you can see what I think he is trying to convey. What has passed may have molded us into the people we are today but you shouldn't dwell on the past. You shouldn't let it define you completely. Its okay if it helped to shape you but for to live in the past is redundant. And you shouldn't be daunted by things that lie ahead of you. It shouldn't dictate what you do know for fear or anticipation. You should live in the now. And no I'm not saying that you shouldn't put thought into your future but don't get too caught up in that you can't enjoy life. And furthermore what lies inside you is what truly matters. It runs the gambit. It could be the will to go on, to stand your ground in the face of adversity, to care for others. There are many thing within you that really shine through and make other things that have happened in the past to you seem minor. Yeah that's how I see it.
And yeah I do. I feel more so each day
Post a Comment