Intellectual Heritage 2 Commonplace "book"
Class readings
The Hypocritical Oath
Writing Cohort
Classes
Other sources
"Doctors can better serve patients when they appreciate the complexities of their lives" Satel, Sally. “The Hypocritical Oath.” American Enterprise Institute, 24 Aug. 2020, www.aei.org/articles/the-hypocritical-oath/.
"When we see practices that put profits ahead of patient needs, we need to call foul publicly and not look the other away. We need to move away from gimmicks that raise only the price of drugs, not their value." More, Bob. "Drug executives should take a Hippocratic oath." Nature, vol. 555, no. 7698, 2018. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A532684457/AONE?u=temple_main&sid=AONE&xid=8579e26b. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020.
This quote summarizes the article which echoes my belief about pharmaceutical products; patient needs should always come before profit. In order to sustain a business, companies must make money, but the price of medicines should not well exceed the price of research, development, and manufacturing.
"If I come for you--and I still might yet decide to come for you--I will wear high heels so you can hear my approach on the cobblestones and have time to repent. You listen for my footsteps" Aunt Polly, BBC/Netflix TV show, Peaky Blinders, series 5 episode 3: Strategy. “There Is God and There Are the Peaky Blinders - BBC.” Edited by BBC, YouTube, 31 Aug. 2019, youtu.be/nKN-VK0B-18. I found this quote because I was searching for an audio version of Galileo's Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany and I stumbled upon a clip that ended with this line.
This quote stood out to me because it has such an intense power that doesn't even have to be spoken to come through. Fantastic writing.
"Forgiveness roll down like streams of living water" Matthew Dayton-Welch during a sermon on forgiveness, 9/11/2020. He mentioned that it came from Amos although the most similar verse I can find is Amos 5:24 "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" English Standard Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+5%3A24&version=ESV;NIV, Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.
It is interesting to me that he exchanged justice for forgiveness. That indicates that in his mind, true justice is forgiveness.
"Oh, Father won't You forgive them?
They don't know what they've been doin'" Tenth Avenue North. “Tenth Avenue North - Losing.” YouTube, 7 Aug. 2012, youtu.be/hHcVTbyJqis. This lyric is a reference to the bible verse Luke 23:34 "And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments." English Standard Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2023:34&version=ESV, Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.
As Jesus is dying on the cross, the crowd is taking part in an auction for his clothes, yet Jesus still asks God for forgiveness for them. This is a part of Christianity that many people don't understand and the part that I feel requires the most faith. God calls his followers to forgive like that too which is a characteristic missing from modern day Christianity for the most part. If modern day Christians were able to forgive to that same extent, the war in Iraq would have never happened.
(2) Galileo
"for the Bible is not chained in every expression to conditions as strict as those which govern all physical effects; nor is God any less excellently revealed in Nature's actions than in the sacred statements of the Bible" Galilei, Galileo. “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, 1615.” Internet History Sourcebooks, Fordham University, Aug. 1997, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/galileo-tuscany.asp.
"now if the Holy Spirit has purposely neglected to teach us propositions of this sort as irrelevant to the highest goal (that is, to our salvation), how can anyone affirm that it is obligatory to take sides on them, that one belief is required by faith, while the other side is erroneous?" Galilei, Galileo. “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, 1615.” Internet History Sourcebooks, Fordham University, Aug. 1997, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/galileo-tuscany.asp.
(5) Sun Tzu
"If there is an all knowing, incomprehensible god, natural sciences are simply an expression of that, not a contradiction?... to pursue science is to pursue a truth of the universe, which should be the goal of religion as well, to understand the ultimate reality of this world" Disalvo, Elisabetta L. “Module 1 Discussion: Hippocrates, Maimonides, Galileo.” Canvas, Richard Orodenker, 9 Sept. 2020.
(1) Hippocrates and Maimonides
Louie Giglio has a devotional for kids called How Great is Our God. I often read it to my little sister or my students. In one of the devotionals, titled "So Much to See!", Giglio writes "The thing is, we'll never discover everything there is to know about space or the universe or all the galaxies and planets it contains...because this unlimited universe was created by the unlimited God". Giglio, Louie, et al. How Great Is Our God: 100 Indescribable Devotions about God and Science. Tommy Nelson, an Imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2019.
God is beyond anything the human mind can comprehend. I find it important to remember that although they may be divinely inspired, all religious texts were written by human beings and are therefore fallable.
“A man should aim to maintain physical health and vigor in order that his soul may be upright in a condition to know God. For it is impossible for one to understand sciences and meditate upon them when he is hungry and sick, or when any of his limbs is aching." Maimonides, Moses. Mishna Torah, trans. Yale University Press (The Code of Maimonides) 3:3 from Hippocrates & Maimonides Canvas document
"I believe that we are each fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God has created us all equal yet unique. Importantly, there is no hierarchy of sexual identity or sexual underclass in the Kingdom of God. Our challenge is not with who we are or how we are created, but how we choose to live our lives."
Ozanne, Jayne. “The Church Tried to Cure Me of Being Gay - Conversion Therapy Must Be Stopped.” International Business Times UK, 18 July 2017, www.ibtimes.co.uk/church-tried-cure-me-being-gay-conversion-therapy-must-be-stopped-1629888.
Expository Provenance: My father's god-father, John Woolmer, was writing a book on deliverance and asked me to share my story of when someone tried to exorcise the "demon of homosexuality" from me for his book. When I received the book, entitled The Devil Goes Missing? Deliverance: Theology Practice History, admittedly, I did not read the whole thing as talk of exorcism brings back bad memories for me, but I did read the chapter entitled "Innapropriate Deliverance" in which my story appears. In the beginning of the section on sexuality, Woolmer tells the story of Jayne Ozanne, a woman who repressed her sexuality for over a decade because of her religion but finally came out and now works to promote the support and acceptance of the LGBTI community within the evangelical Anglican Church in the UK (very different from the US evangelical Church) Woolmer, John. DEVIL GOES MISSING?: Deliverance - Theology, Practice, History. MONARCH Books, 2017.
"The most effective way I know to improve your writing is to do freewriting exercises regularly." - adapted from “Freewriting.” Writing without Teachers, by Peter Elbow, Oxford University Press, 2007. Part of the introductory writing cohort exercise
I chose this quote because as someone who wants to become a doctor, I strive to understand all aspects of people's lives that may affect their health. I take multiple medications for various health issues, but I am on fewer medications than I was a few years ago because my new doctor understands the different aspects of my health and how they interact, so he is better able to treat me.
This stuck out to me because a lot of people overwork themselves which is actually unhelpful in the long run. Medical students and doctors tend to be overworked too which is harmful to patients.
"Both sleep and wakefulness are bad if they exceed their proportion." - Hippocrates, Aphorisms (2.5) from Hippocrates & Maimonides Canvas document
Everything in moderation. Balance between sleep and wakefulness, balance between work and play, balance between excited and calm, our lives are all about balance.
I need to remember not to take frivolous debates so seriously. The correct way to pronounce "gif" will not affect my faith, just as believing in evolution vs. pure creationism will not affect my faith.
The universe is so expansive, so intricate and incredible, it never ceases to amaze me. I love that after millions of years of research and discovery, there is still so much more to find out about the universe.
(3) Wollstonecraft
"when you attack cities and butcher towns, this is the lowest form of attack, because there are many casualties." Tzu, Sun, and Thomas F. Cleary. The Art of War: Complete Texts and Commentaries. Shambhala, 2011.
"il vaut mieux hasarder de
sauver un coupable que de condamner un innocent." Voltaire. Zadig Et Autres Contes. Folio, 1999. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/zadigetautrescon0000volt/page/102/mode/2up.
Translation: It is better to risk saving the guilty than condemn the innocent.
(10) Lincoln
"Religion, pure source of comfort in this vale of tears! How has your clear stream been muddied by the dabblers who have presumptuously tried to confine in one narrow channel the living waters that always flow toward God—the sublime ocean of existence!" Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects. 1792.
I'm not a puritan but it does frustrate me that some people will call themselves a Christian while barely dabbling in Christian faith. Although I also need to learn not to judge people for that.
"15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." English Standard Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+3%3A15-16&version=ESV, Accessed 10 Nov. 2020. Revelation 3:15-16
Jesus couldn't stand lukewarm believers and Paul was even more vocal about his dislike for tepid faith. Go big or go home.
(6) Marx
(7) Declaration Texts
(8) Hammurabi
(9) Utopia
"I do not despair of this country." Douglass, Frederick, abridged by Gillespie, Janet. “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Masshumanities.org, 2020.
"it's important...that we remember change is possible, change is probable, and that there's hope." NPR. “'What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?': Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech: NPR.” YouTube, NPR, 3 July 2020, youtu.be/NBe5qbnkqoM.
"A worship that can be conducted by persons who refuse to give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to mankind." Douglass, Frederick, abridged by Gillespie, Janet. “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Masshumanities.org, 2020.
Isidore Dharma Douglass Skinner, a 15 year old descendant of Frederick Douglass, read his speech with such tenacity and power it gave me chills. This was part of his closing remarks.
"if an awilu should blind the eye of another awilu, they shall blind his eye," Law 196 Hammurabi. “Laws of Hammurabi.” Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor, edited by Piotr Michalowski, by Martha T. Roth and Harry Angier. Hoffner, vol. 6, Scholars Press, 1995, pp. 71–142, templeu.instructure.com/courses/80501/files/9391968?module_item_id=2362834.
"(15) See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone." English Standard Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205:15&version=ESV, Accessed 10 Nov. 2020. Thessalonians 5:15
If the statues erected to kings in the theaters and circuses are washed and scrubbed by those in charge of them…how much more should I, who have been created in God’s image and likeness, [wash and scrub my body], as it is written: “For in the image of God he made man [Genesis 9:6].” by Midrash Rabbah Vayikra 34:3, found in Herber, Jacob. “Walking with Life.” Edited by Bradley Shavit Artson and Deborah Silver, Wizevents.com, The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, 2009, www.wizevents.com/clientfiles/client_1124/mailings/WALKING%20WITH%20LIFE%20Health%20and%20Self%20Care%20DEC%202014.pdf.
This goes along with the idea that our bodies are temples and we should treat them as such. We should take care of our bodies as if they were a place of worship. This is one of the aspects of my faith that I forget most often. I like ice cream a little too much.
“My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada.” DeGeneres, Ellen. Seriously...I'm Kidding. Running Press, 2013.
One of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite books. Ellen Degeneres is a great example of someone who knows how to create a good balance. She makes you laugh and cry, all in one sitting.
" half the employment of the youths is to elude the necessity of attending public worship" Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects. 1792.
"The general rule for use of the military is that it is better to keep a nation intact than to destroy it. It is better to keep an army intact than to destroy it, better to keep a division intact than to destroy it, better to keep a battalion intact than to destroy it, better to keep a unit intact than to destroy it," Tzu, Sun, and Thomas F. Cleary. The Art of War: Complete Texts and Commentaries. Shambhala, 2011.
"Detailed protocols are given for how an HCW team, with appropriate training and required supplies, can safely perform a focused assessment and collection of screening samples outside the healthcare setting. This approach avoids unnecessary exposures and resource utilization for those who otherwise are safe to remain at home. Their explicit protocols provide a framework for other healthcare and public health systems to weigh along with cost-effectiveness and scalability." Maxwell, Daniel N, et al. “‘The Art of War’ in the Era of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 71, no. 16, 15 Oct. 2020, pp. 2215–2217. Oxford Academic, academic-oup-com.libproxy.temple.edu/cid/article/71/16/2215/5800048.
Fighting infectious diseases is just like fighting a war. Harm reduction is important in both.
This is so true. People who believe that their God wants them to be selfish are a burden on humanity.
“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it.”
Comedy Central. “Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat - The Colbert Report (Video Clip).” Comedy Central, 16 Dec. 2010, www.cc.com/video-clips/m38gcf/the-colbert-report-jesus-is-a-liberal-democrat.
This simple message of hope stood out in Douglass' speech. We may not have total equality yet, but we get a little closer every generation.
"If a man charges another man with practicing witchcraft but can-not bring proof against him, he who is charged with witchcraft shall go to the divine River Ordeal, he shall indeed submit to the divine River Ordeal; if the divine River Ordeal should overwhelm him, his accuser shall take fulliegai possession of his estate; if the divine River Ordeal should clear that man and should he survive, he who made the charge of witchcraft against him shall be killed; he who submitted to the divine River Ordeal shall take full legal posses-sion of his accuser's estate." Law 2 Hammurabi. “Laws of Hammurabi.” Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor, edited by Piotr Michalowski, by Martha T. Roth and Harry Angier. Hoffner, vol. 6, Scholars Press, 1995, pp. 71–142, templeu.instructure.com/courses/80501/files/9391968?module_item_id=2362834.
(4) DuBois
"If, while the healing of this vast sore is progressing, the races are to live for many years side by side, united in economic effort, obeying a common government, sensitive to mutual thought and feeling, yet subtly and silently separate in many matters of deeper human intimacy,—if this unusual and dangerous development is to progress amid peace and order, mutual respect and growing intelligence, it will call for social surgery at once the delicatest and nicest in modern history." DuBois, William Edward Burghardt. “Of the Training of Black Men.” The Souls of Black Folk, edited by Brent Hayes Edwards, by William Edward Burghardt DuBois, Oxford Univ. Press, 2007, pp. 63–76.
"I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls." DuBois, William Edward Burghardt. “Of the Training of Black Men.” The Souls of Black Folk, edited by Brent Hayes Edwards, by William Edward Burghardt DuBois, Oxford Univ. Press, 2007, pp. 63–76.
"Kindness and good nature unite men more effectually and with greater strength than any agreements whatsoever, since thereby the engagements of men’s hearts become stronger than the bond and obligation of words." More, Thomas. Utopia. Planet EBook, Planet eBook, www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/utopia.pdf.
I could not agree with a statement more than this. Good will can reach over all kinds of divisions in society and compassion can override any disagreement.
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right… let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan… to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with… all nations.” Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address; endorsed by Lincoln, April 10, 1865. Transcribed and annotated by the Lincoln Studies Center, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. Available at Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division (Washington, D.C.: American Memory Project, [2000-02]), http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/malhome.html.
“You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.”
Lennon, John. “IMAGINE. (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (with the Flux Fiddlers) HD.” YouTube, 18 Dec. 2016, youtu.be/YkgkThdzX-8.
This is such a contrast from the Lincoln that first ran for public office. The civil war has given him a new perspective on unity, peace, and caring for one another. It's interesting that such a violent event can have that effect.
"Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win." Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. “Manifesto Of The Communist Party.” Marx/Engels Selected Works, vol. 1, 1848, pp. 98–137., www.marxists.org/admin/books/manifesto/Manifesto.pdf.
"Je mentirai quand il faudra et je ne méprise personne. Le mensonge, ce n’est pas moi qui l’ai inventé : il est né dans une société divisée en classes et chacun de nous l’a hérité en naissant. Ce n’est pas en refusant de mentir que nous abolirons le mensonge : c’est en usant de tous les moyens pour supprimer les classes." Sartre, Jean Paul. Les Mains Sales. Gallimard, 1972.
Translation: I will lie when it is necessary and I don't despise anyone. The lie, it is not me that invented it : it was born in a society divided into classes and each of us inherited it at birth. It is not in refusing to lie that we will abolish the lie: it is in the use of all the ways to eliminate classes
Even if you hate communism, you have to admit that this is a powerful way to end a manifesto.
"Maybe Temple has a sugar daddy by now to replace Bill Cosby"
Huque, Taufiqul. Cellular and Molecular Biology Lab Lecture. 28 Oct. 2020.
My lab instructor, Dr. Huque, said this after explaining that we get the cheaper DNase that is contaminated with RNase rather than uncontaminated DNase.
"Did you know that if you stack all the elephants of the world on top of each other, they'd all die?" Dadey, Ryan. Message to group. Zoom, 31 Aug. 2020.
"It's not that we don't know what would cure [rare genetic enzyme deficiency diseases], unfortunately it's just too expensive to develop those enzymes in the lab and make them compatible with the human body. That's why you see families desperately trying to fundraise for a child with those disorders. The government doesn't want to spend millions of dollars developing a treatment for a disease that only 10 people in the country have, you know, so they end up having to raise the money themselves. It's so sad to watch"
Nicholson, Rhonda. “Thermodynamics II.” Cellular and Molecular Biology Lecture. 21 Sept. 2020.
"Of course it has always been the one great ideal of my life to be of the greatest good to the greatest number of "my people" possible and to this end I have been preparing myself for these many years; feeling as I do that this line of education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom to our people." Washington Carver, George. Received by Booker T. Washington, 12 Apr. 1896.
"No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." History.com Editors, and Martin Luther King. “'I Have a Dream' Speech.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 30 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech.
MLK chose the perfect biblical reference here to emphasize the power and importance of the civil rights movement. He had a talent for choosing the perfect biblical references for any situation.
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." History.com Editors, and Martin Luther King. “'I Have a Dream' Speech.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 30 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech.
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”
Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, and Sidney D. Piburn. The Dalai Lama, a Policy of Kindness: an Anthology of Writings by and about the Dalai Lama. Snow Lion, 1998.
Although I am a Christian by faith, the most important part of my faith is love and kindness, just the the Dalai Lama says of his faith.
"Person A: If she weighs the same as a duck... she's made of wood! Person B: And therefore... All: a witch!" Gilliam, Terry and Terry Jones, directors. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment, 2002.
I tried to skip church all the time as a kid! Some sermons were just so boring. I also hated school assemblies which were similar but much more empty than church services.
Some people may believe that their Christianity is rooted in selfishness, but those people are not reading the bible correctly. Anyone who claims to be a Christian but does not help those in need is really missing the point.
True integration and equality can only be achieved through delicate dedication from a huge number of people. DuBois points out how hard it will be to achieve a society without oppression. We can't just wait and hope for the best, we have to fight for freedom and equality for all.
I wholeheartedly believe that education is the key to s peaceful, integrated society based on mutual compassion and respect. Also George Washington Carver was a total badass.
This is such a beautiful way to describe a world without prejudice.
I look forward to the day when former oppressors no longer treat the formerly oppressed as lesser and the formerly oppressed no longer resent the former oppressor. It will take work from all parties though.
If war cannot be avoided, we should at least try to minimize the damage.
This is an interesting way to look at lying. Would the elimination of classes actually abolish lies?
This is one of my biggest arguments against the death penalty. The risk of putting an innocent person to death completely outweighs any perceived "justice" of executing a guilty person.
Unity almost always beats out destruction. Even one of the most important war texts in history states that.
I was trying so hard to pay attention to the lecture that day but I couldn't because the chat just kept getting more and more ridiculous. This was one of my favourite comments.
Expository Provenance: We were learning about enzymes and enzyme deficiency disorders in biology lecture and I asked why, if we know how to synthesize organic molecules like enzymes, we don't just develop enzymes that people with enzyme deficiency disorders are lacking and give it to them.
This quote is not especially meaningful or anything but I included it because it made me laugh. Dr. Huque is one of the best lab instructors I've ever had AND he's funny.
This is where the idea "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" comes from. I personally disagree with this view of justice.
I am a Christian and a scientist and I strongly believe that science is a beautiful way to explain and explore God's creation.
Christianity is based on the totally opposite principal of turning the other cheek. It is hard but it is definitely a better way to live.
This one made me laugh a little bit. For a society that was so advanced and civilized, a procedure like this seems absolutely bonkers. But we have things like that in modern US too such as Groundhog Day.
This is one of my favourite Monty Python scenes so I had to include it somewhere. It seems rather similar to Hammurabi's witchcraft test.
John Lennon's Imagine is one of my favourite songs and it is a great reminder of what the world could be. Towards the end of his life, Lincoln had the same dream.
Sometimes what's best for the "common good" is devastating for a family. I wonder, at what point does it become worth the government's money to research and develop a cure for a disease/illness?
"Just eating more of a neurotransmitter precursor is not automatically going to raise your levels of that neurotransmitter. We can't cure Depression, for example, by just eating more tryptophan. Why? Because, first of all, does the precursor get across the blood brain barrier, and in fact tryptophan does, but you have to ask yourself: do I even make enough enzyme to convert the precursor into my neurotransmitter that it would make a difference, right, or am I already saturating my enzymes that help convert that precursor chemical. So eating more isn't really going to do anything." Gooch, Cynthia. “Drug Actions and Synapses” Fundamentals of Neuroscience. 1 Oct. 2020.
This is partly why it's a myth that the tryptophan in turkey causes people to fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner. But it's also a good point about why you can't oversimplify biological systems.
"Pooh felt that he ought to say something helpful about it, but didn't quite know what. So he decided to do something helpful instead." Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh. Five Mile Press, 1999.
Winnie the Pooh has always been one of my favourite stories. I have been reading it to my sister recently and when I came across this quote I immediately wrote it down on my hand. Pooh doesn't always know the right thing to say, but he has a big heart. Despite being a bear of very little brain, Pooh knows that actions speak louder than words and he is always willing to help his friends in whatever way he can think of. Sometimes I get too wrapped up in trying to say the right thing when really I could be doing the right thing instead.
Darker colour = quote + provenance
Lighter colour = Exposition
"God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference."
from Niebuhr, Reinhold. The Serenity Prayer
I have included only a limited citation because while I have heard and seen this prayer many times in many places, I most commonly refer to it from a token I keep in my pocket
The Serenity Prayer, and this part of it especially, has helped me through some really hard times. It has helped me work through grief, addiction, and just simple frustration.
Renoir, Pierre-Auguste. Vendangeuses. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1888, The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.
I LOVE Renoir so I would probably include most of his paintings if I could. This is one of my favourites though because it displays his skill in creating smooth lines that blend into one another creating a calm but comprehensive painting.
"La preuve que le petit prince a existé c'est qu'il était ravissant, qu'il riait, et qu'il voulait un mouton. Quand on veut un mouton, c'est la preuve qu'on existe" Saint-Exupéry, Antoine De. Le Petit Prince. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1946.
Translation: The proof that the little prince existed is that he was ravishing, that he laughed, and that he wanted a sheep. When one wants a sheep, that is proof that one exists.
I try to never forget that it is the simple things in life that make us human and make us unique. The little prince wanted a sheep, and that made him real. I often wonder what someone say about me as proof that I exist. Perhaps they would mention that I have a weird obsession with buying funny earrings even though I don't wear earrings or even have my ears pierced, I think that proves I exist.