When the fall is all there is...

One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is from "The Lion in Winter" (1968) (and 2003 for that matter...) when Geoffrey, Richard, and John are in the dungeon waiting on the king to come for them. They have a little back and forth and Richard is going on about how he is going to meet his death. There is an interchange between them that I really like a lot. It goes like this:

Richard: He'll get no satisfaction out of me. He isn't going to see me beg.

Geoffrey: Why you chivalric fool—as if the way one fell down mattered.

Richard: When the fall is all there is, it matters.

Quiet Desperation

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. 

What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. 

From the desperate city, you go into the desperate country and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. 

A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. 

There is no play in them, for this comes after work. 

But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things." 

      - Henry David Thoreau

Religion and Politics Part 4 - Taoism (and a Bear)

I continue to look at Taoism and how it has changed me, and the life I live. This week we will look at the Taoist principles of non-contention, non-action, and non-intention.

Religion and Politics Part 3 - Taoism (and a Bear)

In my {previous post} I talked about how I found Taoism and some of the humble beginnings of learning the Way. In this series, I would like to spend some time looking at why Taoism resonates with me and why over all others I follow Taoism teachings.

Religion and Politics Part 2 - Philosophy and a Bear.

As I try to decide what I believe now I have great difficulty separating what I was raised to believe and what I really think. Twenty years ago had you asked me if I believed in God, in Jesus and the resurrection, I would have answered, without even thinking, that yes, I did. It's the "without even thinking" part that bothers me now.

Religion and Politics, two things you should never discuss. Part 1

I enjoy conversation, I savor great conversation but all conversation is worthwhile. Debate is great, there is nothing that gets the blood pumping quite like a lively debate. Debate has the added benefit of solidifying your own thoughts and beliefs and has the potential to change them. How can you truly believe something if you don't understand it?

The Road Goes Ever On and On...

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say!"
J.R.R.Tolkien "The Fellowship of the Ring" *

I have been thinking about that song/poem a lot recently.  As I head into another birthday... another year older, hopefully, a little wiser, I can't help but wonder where the road ahead must now lead.