Most people do not pray. They only beg. – George Bernard Shaw The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was a prolific writer, literary critic, author of the famous plays Pygmalion -- which later was turned into the famous musical My Fair Lady. Shaw has been the only winner of both an Academy Award and the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was also a member of the socialist Fabian society, a staunch advocate of eugenics, a serial adulterer, and a man who once wrote a Dublin newspaper to declare "with inflexible materialistic logic, and to the extreme horror of my respectable connections, that I was an atheist." Hey, nobody's perfect. His personal faults aside, Shaw was absolutely correct in his astute analysis of prayer and the human condition. By and large, we humans do not pray to God and give thanks for the wonderful gifts we have received. Instead, we tend to beg our Creator for materialistic possessions that we still covet in spite of our blessings. Or for personal miracles. But rarely does it seem that we ever just say "thanks." … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2015
The Pearl: 27 March 2015
Don’t get it right. Just get it written. – James Thurber James Thurber was a very funny man. His short story "The Catbird Seat" is one of my all-time favorites. And in my opinion, there is an element of truth in any clever expression of good humor. However, if there is intention to publish, this quote only applies to the first draft. And if you plan to sell what you write, I strongly recommend hiring a professional editor. … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 26 March 2015
Our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real. -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter, from the film "Red Dragon" The line above could have been written by Thomas Harris, author of books such as Black Sunday and Silence of the Lambs. Of course, the quote might have been scripted by Ted Tally, the man who wrote the screenplay for the movie Red Dragon. Since I don't have a copy of the book handy to see if the line originated there but I know it was in the film that was based on the novel, I'll give partial credit to both, as well as to Sir Anthony Hopkins, who so memorably played Hannibal Lecter in the movies. Great lines are perceived to be great because they succinctly summarize some true and astute observation of life. I can remember the accident or specific event that caused each of my most significant scars. Over the years, my body has accumulated a number of interesting ones. My mother used to say that if all my scars simultaneously turned back into open wounds, my body would fall apart like a rag doll. I have been stitched up more than my fair share. There was a point in my life where the nurses in the emergency room at St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah recognized me on sight, I visited them so often. Combine a relatively high threshold for pain with a healthy desire to live life to the fullest, you might acquire a few scars like these yourself. The hard truth is that real world doesn't forgive very many mistakes without giving us a scar as a reminder. Edmund Burke famously said these true words: "Those who don't know history are doomed to … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 25 March 2015
Common sense is the genius of humanity. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe This quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is significant because he was a genius. Experts have estimated his IQ was over 200. Obviously, this brilliant literary mind placed great value on common sense, as did my own dad. My father always differentiated between what he called "book sense", meaning formal education, and common sense, by which he meant the ability to figure things out and function in the real world. As the Pearl from several days ago suggested, the United States of America would probably not exist as a nation, if it were not for Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Simply stated, common sense is very underrated. … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 24 May 2015
Familiarity breeds contempt - and children. -- Mark Twain Once upon a time, my wife and I had two young children at home aged 8 and 3, and a border collie named Maggie who loved to herd the munchkins. One night Maggie got a little too excited while following her instincts and nipped at one of our daughter's friends, so my wife and I took our most excellent little sheepdog to obedience training. The lady at obedience school told us, "One problem is that your dog doesn't respect your children." To which I honestly replied, "Most of the time, we don't either." The trainer seemed to think that was a significant contributing factor to our dog's bad behavior. … [Read more...]
