After Thoughts
Good appearances mean a little to everybody,
and they mean everything to nobody.
Jesus means something to few people,
and to those few people he means everything.
The problem with common sense is that it is far too common.
After the seminar I decided to introduce myself to the traveling professor. He was a philosopher par excellence, decorated with every medal in his craft from modal logic to epistemology. I noticed a small speck of an ornament among the rest and said, "Which medal is that for?". He scoffed and said, "That thing? That is for something so small that even a child could understand it. That medal is for truth. You can have it, it means nothing to me."
It takes a child to raise a village.
Even the greatest scholars fail to grasp everything, but love makes all things clear.
After my first week as an appentice, I surveyed the workbench and asked, 'Which tools are the greatest?' The master answered, 'The ones most leave on the shelf.'
What the philosophers say about reality is often as deceptive as when you see a sign in a second-hand store that reads: 'Pressing Done Here'. If you went in with your clothes to have them pressed you would be fooled; the sign is for sale.
Kierkegaard, Either-Or
Those who often give advice seldom take it.
Those who seldom speak need little advice.
"Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
Mark 8:15b
As soon as the child walked into the barber shop, he noticed his reflection in the mirror. Then he noticed another reflection standing behind that one, and another one going back into the darkness. On his other side was a series of reflections that looked very similar. 'How just like time!' He remarked. 'The furtherest memories I have are so hazy, and the future becomes unclear after several moments. I have only this brief part here.'
God makes exceptions. Pray something daring.
Better to live among the primitivity of the Goths,
Than the intellectual fineries of Rome.
Scholars have the ability to explain happiness.
Everyone else has the ability to find it.
So many know-it-alls, and so few fools.
So many philanthropists, and how few are outwardly selfish.
The world insists on making everything impersonal,
though not as strongly as God insists on making everything personal.
and they mean everything to nobody.
Jesus means something to few people,
and to those few people he means everything.
The problem with common sense is that it is far too common.
After the seminar I decided to introduce myself to the traveling professor. He was a philosopher par excellence, decorated with every medal in his craft from modal logic to epistemology. I noticed a small speck of an ornament among the rest and said, "Which medal is that for?". He scoffed and said, "That thing? That is for something so small that even a child could understand it. That medal is for truth. You can have it, it means nothing to me."
It takes a child to raise a village.
Even the greatest scholars fail to grasp everything, but love makes all things clear.
After my first week as an appentice, I surveyed the workbench and asked, 'Which tools are the greatest?' The master answered, 'The ones most leave on the shelf.'
What the philosophers say about reality is often as deceptive as when you see a sign in a second-hand store that reads: 'Pressing Done Here'. If you went in with your clothes to have them pressed you would be fooled; the sign is for sale.
Kierkegaard, Either-Or
Those who often give advice seldom take it.
Those who seldom speak need little advice.
"Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."
Mark 8:15b
As soon as the child walked into the barber shop, he noticed his reflection in the mirror. Then he noticed another reflection standing behind that one, and another one going back into the darkness. On his other side was a series of reflections that looked very similar. 'How just like time!' He remarked. 'The furtherest memories I have are so hazy, and the future becomes unclear after several moments. I have only this brief part here.'
God makes exceptions. Pray something daring.
Better to live among the primitivity of the Goths,
Than the intellectual fineries of Rome.
Scholars have the ability to explain happiness.
Everyone else has the ability to find it.
So many know-it-alls, and so few fools.
So many philanthropists, and how few are outwardly selfish.
The world insists on making everything impersonal,
though not as strongly as God insists on making everything personal.
6 Comments:
Thank you for these bits of wisdom. It has been an insane day and on those days, simple truth hits the spot.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could retain the wisdom that we had as a child? It seems the more we learn and experience the more foolish we become. It is good to know Jesus and to be continually washed from all our heady foolishness and start all over again with simple truth.
Nice collection of small quotes burning bush, I especially loved Kierkegaard's witty metaphor.
Thanks, Joy. In life I often feel like there's something very foreign and very simply that's elluding me and this is in some part an attempt to 'see' it.
Thanks, Tim. I forgot to mention it, but my earlier post on Aesop was in part a response to a comment you made earlier. You compared one of my posts to Aesop -whom I've never read. So I went out and started reading his stories. I'm very glad I did, too!
I did? Considering i've never read Aesop myself, I have no idea how I was able to make comparisons! haha. I enjoyed that post though, maybe he is worth further investigation.
Oh ... hmm ... actually I think you referred to one of my stories as a "Fable" so I decided to check out Aesop. That's funny, though, that you haven't actually read him. Ah, now I get your joke in the comic post about being my inspiration ... ;)
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