Aspiring to greatness may be the ultimate folly. Just do the work. What comes, will come, then one day, maybe, we will turn around, look back and say, that's where I was and this is where I am.
Excellent musings Su. When you wrote about the Inca, I thought of the book "1491" by Charles Mann. You also made me recall reading Muriel Sparks' book "Memento Mori" some years ago. "The birth of a human being is pregnant with meaning, why not death? For twenty years and more the growing man is being prepared for the complete unfolding of his individual nature, why not the older man prepare himself twenty years and more for his death?" CG Jung
Someone once said that we must become extra ordinary to become extraordinary.
excellent post Su. more to discuss here as over the years I have discerned a loophole for performing artists that causes mind-traps. it has to do with incomplete feedback loops. this doesn't negate any of the truth here, but if an obstacle course has a 2 foot wide hole to jump across, and in our obstacle course it is 10 feet wide, with ice on the other side, other strategies are needed! but, yes, most of them will be internally adjusted as the external gets beyond our control very quickly.
GRACE is GREAT, upside down or sideways. Life is great often…not so great when Thelonious our cat is dying from a tumor. My last mantra was “consciousness is fundamental” (Ala Dr. Donald Hoffman, physicist), but now I will change that to “great is like time and space, changing all the time”. M
Lenny Bruce: "What is, is. And what will be is bullshit."
Ram Das: "Be here now."
Aspiring to greatness may be the ultimate folly. Just do the work. What comes, will come, then one day, maybe, we will turn around, look back and say, that's where I was and this is where I am.
Excellent musings Su. When you wrote about the Inca, I thought of the book "1491" by Charles Mann. You also made me recall reading Muriel Sparks' book "Memento Mori" some years ago. "The birth of a human being is pregnant with meaning, why not death? For twenty years and more the growing man is being prepared for the complete unfolding of his individual nature, why not the older man prepare himself twenty years and more for his death?" CG Jung
Someone once said that we must become extra ordinary to become extraordinary.
My favorite from you thus far Su! I’m saving and archiving this forever and will reread it to remember
excellent post Su. more to discuss here as over the years I have discerned a loophole for performing artists that causes mind-traps. it has to do with incomplete feedback loops. this doesn't negate any of the truth here, but if an obstacle course has a 2 foot wide hole to jump across, and in our obstacle course it is 10 feet wide, with ice on the other side, other strategies are needed! but, yes, most of them will be internally adjusted as the external gets beyond our control very quickly.
Wonderful essay, greatness is attained in the doing, not in expectation ( or hope ) of the reward for what has been done.
I enjoy all of your posts, but this one...Yes, this one really resonates...
Also, I checked out your improvised sax duet with your friend on Youtube; loved the interaction, the depth of listening,
and the sound each of you brought to the conversation. Truly beautiful, thank you!
GRACE is GREAT, upside down or sideways. Life is great often…not so great when Thelonious our cat is dying from a tumor. My last mantra was “consciousness is fundamental” (Ala Dr. Donald Hoffman, physicist), but now I will change that to “great is like time and space, changing all the time”. M