Careful Composure 7/21/09

Nothing great was ever done without much enduring.

St. Catherine of Siena
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I'm standing by.
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Anyone who often reads Vagabond Journeys knows that I am a champion of the common man, a believer in the value, beauty and genius of the ordinary, everyday, average human being. I do not underestimate the remarkable achievements by remarkable people. But I am willing to recognize that my friends and neighbors are capable of remarkable things if the situation demands.

Yesterday I watched the celebration of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The three astronauts involved all spoke. I noticed that none of them were very good public speakers. There were no orators in the group. But then I thought Why should there be? They are scientists, engineers, technicians and pilots. Oratory is not their game.

When Neil Armstrong came forward to speak he received a standing ovation from the audience. Again I wondered why he did and not the other two. Was it because he had done something remarkable that the others didn't do, or was it simply that he was the first person to do it. His name will go down in history as a great explorer. And yet when he spoke he showed himself to be an ordinary guy, like me.

Frequently the astronauts speak of the many thousands of people involved in the space flight history, of the thousands of nameless workers, ordinary folks like me, whose contributions made it possible for someone to walk on the moon.

Something else is talked of also, and that is the spirit of the Apollo program which inspired people to do their best, to dream, solve problems, design and build equipment and to make sure all the procedures were correctly carried out.

In his talk Armstrong uttered an amazing and troubling fact. He revealed that it was a mere 66 years between the Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk to the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. That's a amazing time line. Only 66 years. But it has been 40 years since the moon landing. What has happened since? The Apollo astronauts are old men now but they say they expected the program to continue to the moon and beyond.

I guess the International Space Station is a grand accomplishment, but, as someone pointed out, it's basically a political one. It doesn't have as much to do with space exploration as the Hubble Telescope. Why have 40 years gone by without further exploration? What happened to the spirit of Apollo? And what was that spirit in the first place.

Watching the Apollo 11 astronauts speak I wondered what it was that motivated those men to stuff themselves into a minute flying machine to go on a long journey they might not survive. The answer came listening to them and to others speak on the subject. There were two qualities that all explorers have had since humans first went where no one else had been: curiosity and willingness to risk one's life.

It is clear that taking off in a spaceship is risky business no matter what, but is risking one's life to install a battery in the space station the same as risking one's life to step on the moon? I don't think so.

Another quality the astronauts have is endurance, sticking to the job until it's done. In the case of the Apollo flights, it meant living in extremely cramped quarters for many days. A trip to Mars would mean living that way for months. How many people have the composure to do that? I don't think I do. I don't even like being on a bus for more than an hour. How long did it take Columbus and crew to travel on small, wooden bottomed boats to get here? We know what year he did it but I don't know how long it took. Do you?

(There are still some blank headed people who believe, like the Holocaust deniers, that the moon walks never happened, that it's all a hoax, . Sure, and Columbus never set foot on a new land either. His ship fell off the edge of the earth and we are not really here.)

Curiosity. Courage. Endurance. Those are the keys to our future. And we should get on with it.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
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Pardon my polemics, please.
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Beneficial Behavior 7/20/09

True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by.

B. S. Bouton
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Be my guest.
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Every day should be accompanied by benefit and beauty in some form. That may seem like a hard struggle for you if you are suffering. The temptation is to dwell only on the ugly notes if there is nasty work to be done. Life should be one harmonious line. When the unusual becomes the usual and the only things that seems real and true are dead and stinking fish in the barrel, we forget that.

I think it's a matter of looking for, instead of looking at. I'm remembering the story about the freed slave, I believe it was Booker T. Washington, who was ordered by his employer to clean out a shed. After several tries, she still was not satisfied and told him to go back in and continue. When he finally succeeded it occurred to him that it took him so long to do the job because he had never seen a clean shed before. He had been looking at the chaos and not the order. This is another bit of legerdemain we perform on our troubled selves. I have a problem with this one.

I have so many troublesome messes in my life that I honestly am not sure I remember or can imagine what my life would look and feel like if the messes were all cleared up. Then what would I do? Create new ones? Maybe. I hope not.

But today's quote says there's a better way of looking at things, a different way. There are blessings to be had today. They may be already sitting around on your desk, or they may come in the mail or they may be something you have left unthought about. Why not look for and expect some of those things, instead of cherishing the troubles? It isn't a matter of looking on the brighter side of things. It's a matter of looking for brighter things. Sure it's a mood swinger to do that, but it's also a wisdom earner. Looking at only the wrongs, positive or negative, pulls the shade down on the sunlight of the bounty that belongs to you.

I once had a roommate who was a very religious man. He took a job as an unskilled construction worker. This man had a lot of personal problems to solve and he had to work very hard. But whenever he came home his acknowledgement was always a positive one about his day's work. He would say things like "Today the Lord taught me how to install a ceiling."

What are you going to learn today? That's the question.

DB - The Vagabond
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Come on, I want to see a smile.
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Advantageous Aggression

If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don't, you have achieved half your failure.

David Ambrose
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Enter smiling.
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Who wants to be at war all the time? Who wants to go into battle every day? Why is it that sometimes there seems to be a phalanx of enemies lined up to defeat us? And what do we do about it?

Years ago I read a book on military strategy, written by a US Army General. (My reading choices are eclectic. I have grown used to having them scornfully challenged. "What are you reading THAT for?" Every good book is a textbook for living.)

The book I read pointed out two very important things about engaging an enemy. Vitally important to any army are supply and communication. If you can cut off those things from the opposing army you might be able to win a battle without firing a shot. The reason being that you will demoralize the enemy. It's the principle behind laying a siege. Surround the enemy, cut them off from all supply and communication, and they will soon be ready for defeat and surrender. Once they lose the will to fight, the fight is over.

As a result of learning that tactic, I've noticed in how many subtle ways the things that trouble my life are designed to demoralize me, to make me surrender, throw down my weapons and quit the field.

The worst part of the demoralization process is that one tends to believe that hopelessness and despair are a result of one's own thinking. That's when one has to turn the thinking around, change the tactic and find a way to poke a hole in the enemy's ranks. It has been done, it can be done, it will be done if quitting is not an option.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more:"
"The game's afoot: follow your spirit."
(Shakespeare)

Beware of doubt, fear, confusion, discouragement, despair. Beware of demoralization. That's the real enemy.

Vagabond Journeys
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Keep smiling.
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Zeal Zone 7/18/09

Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.

Zhuangzi
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Enter please.
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A note about yesterday's entry. I do not figure a readership by how many comments I get but by how many times my journal is actually clicked on, whether it's read or not. I appreciate each and every comment. I don't write for the comments or for myself. I'm not used to that. A performing artist doesn't work for himself alone. The success of a play is judged by how many people come to see it. At the Charles Playhouse in Boston we performed a matinee for one person on a terribly rainy day. At the Tribeca Lab in NYC we performed for one person who left at intermission. I will write for one person if necessary, but I am currently disappointed at the size of the audience, That's all.
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I strive for happiness.

I strive for the end of striving.

I strive for the end of trouble.
I strive for the end of recent trouble on top of chronic trouble on top of 70 years of trouble.

I strive for solvency.
I strive to know how much my debts are and where the money is coming from to pay for them.

I strive for health.
I strive to be able to see well enough to read again, to chew again and to walk without pain again, to clear my chest and stop coughing.

I strive for a home.
I strive for a comfortable place to live, with nice things around me, friends nearby and an interesting neighborhood.

I strive to know.
I strive for knowledge, for understanding and for wisdom.

I strive for approval.
I strive to be acknowledged, understood and accepted.

I strive for love.
I strive to love, to be loved and to be lovable.

I strive for power.
I strive for strength to meet the day, largeness of heart and clearness of mind.

I strive for faith.
I strive for belief in myself, in certainty about my future and for confidence in my destiny.

I strive for freedom.
I strive to be allowed to live out my life unencumbered and untethered to trouble, lack or confusion.

I strive for enlightenment.
I strive to reveal mysteries, to see beyond limits, to uncover truth.

I strive for the end of striving.

I strive for happiness.

DB
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May an angel appear at your window.
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WEEKEND PUZZLE

it's weel uf 4 toon

It's a song title. Ask me for letters.

_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ /

_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ _ /

_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ ?

Good luck.

Yearning's Yaw 7/17/09

Envy is an insult to oneself.

Yevtushenko
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Join me on the road.
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Envy is one of the seven deadlies. Maybe it should be one of the 10 Commandments. Thou shalt not envy anyone. I guess it could fall under the category of not coveting. But that commandment refers to things and people: oxes, asses, maid servants and such. But isn't to covet a person's beauty, strength, intelligence just as bad?

To say "I envy her good looks" is the same as saying "I'm not beautiful." To say "I'm not as strong as he is" means "I'm a weakling." And to say "He's more intelligent than I am" means "I'm pretty stupid compared to him."

I think that word "compare" is the real villain. Shakespeare said "Comparisons are odorous." The commandment should read "Thou shalt not compare thyself with others." Why not? Because you rob thyself if you do. And you rob others because you start looking for their limitations.

I could envy actors whose good health enables them to keep on working into their senior years. I could envy writers I know whose books are published, being read and enjoyed. I could envy painters whose works are on display in museum and homes.

I am an individual in the vast universe of creatures. I have my own beauty, strength and intelligence. I may compete, but I won't compare.

Q. How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
A. 50. One to change the bulb, and 49 to say "I could have done that better."

DB

By the way.

At first I thought ENDEAVOUR, the name of the space shuttle visiting the International Space Station, was a typo. Shouldn't it be spelled ENDEAVOR? Then I learn that it was named after HM Bark Endeavour, the ship of Captain James Cook. the 18th Century British explorer. So it has the British spelling.

"Bark" is another name for ship, as in "they embarked." And Shakespeare refers to love as "the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown although his height be taken," referring to how sailors would navigate by the North Star.

And now for the:

SUMMER QUIZ

This is not a contest.



A young man out west just took home 88 million dollars from the lottery.



Whether you play the lottery or not, if you suddenly had 88 million dollars, or the equivalent of whatever your currency is, what are the first three things you would do with it?



You have all summer to answer if you wish.

12 responses so far.



DB

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I wish you a jolly day.

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I grieve.







My credit card bank, the only credit card that's left me, is jerking me around, sky rocketing my interest rates even though I am a prompt and frequent payer. The stress is awful.



My readership is so low I'm thinking again of weaning myself from the journal and just sticking with a few regulars through emails.



It has become even more painful lately to walk anywhere.

Xenophilic Xylograph 7/16/09

The hardest mountain trail to climb gets you the best seat in the forest.

DB - The Vagabond
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Hello friend.
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Once upon a time I set out on a hike across a ridge of mountains. It was an ambitions hike over a northern peak, down to a long ridge with a smaller peak and up to a southern peak. It was a hike that would take a long time.

There are many ways to give up. Some people give up before they start. They will look at the task, say "That's too difficult for me" and not even attempt it. That's one way of giving up.

I parked my car at the base of the southern mountain and rode my bicycle to the base of the northern peak, hid it in the bushes and started out.

Others will begin and drop out when the going gets tough. They'll say "This is harder than I thought." That's a reason to stop.

At first the trail went along smoothly and then suddenly it turned and started up the steep ascent. I was pulling on branches and roots to help me climb. It was almost totally a relentless ascent straight up.

Some people will keep going and when they get half way there or a little further they will say "That's enough, I proved I can do it. I don't have to do any more." Another good reason for stopping.

After several hours I came out of the timberline into open spaces. It was a beautiful day, the view was wonderful and I was exhausted. I looked up and couldn't see the summit. All I could see above me was rock, without even a bush to grab onto to help me up.. I had brought some food with me so I decided to have it and then start back down.

Some people will stop just before they finish. The marathon runner's body wants to quit usually 6 to 8 miles before the finish line. Giving up just before you get there is a shame, but many people do it. They do it because they don't know how long, or how much effort it's going to take to get there.

After my lunch I looked up above me again and said "What the hell. I might as well make the summit, then I can go back down, go home and forget about the rest of the hike. So I started back up and was amazed to find that the summit was only 10 minutes away.

But when people don't give up, when they make it, when the actually accomplish what they set out to do, they are frequently amazed at what else they are capable of.

Standing on the top of that mountain I felt victorious, and that encouraged me to go on. So I did. I made it across the range and down the southern slope to my car, drove over to pick up my bicycle, headed home and lived happily ever after. More or less.

DB
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Sparkle today.

Wisdom's Way 7/15/09

One characteristic of winners is they always look upon themselves as a do it yourself project.

Denis Waitley
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Come in. It's safe.
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Recently someone sent me an email of images of what America was like in the 40's and 50's. There were pictures of cars, buildings, food and drink, things we used and did. I noticed that all the pictures of women were either pin-up girls or smiling motherly types in the kitchen wearing aprons. I remembered that back then there was a company that sold appliances and gadgets for the home. Their slogan was "Less Work For Mother" as if the word "mother" meant household servant.

I went along not doubting that premise until I met my first feminist, who was a man, by the way. Slowly my brain washing began to disappear in an enlightenment, not only about the role of women in the world, but about everyone's ability to transcend stereotypes and ingrained attitudes about themselves.

"Women should stay in the kitchen where they belong." That remark was part of the backlash against the feminist movement. I asked myself why, if the woman's place is in the kitchen cooking meals, were all the major chefs in the world men. I began to ask myself a lot of other questions about the assumptions I had been tricked into believing. One of them was that any woman or member of a minority group who achieved a special place in society was an exception. When the 60's arrived so did the civil rights movement and all sorts of assumptions were being challenged and toppling over like false gods on to the temple floor of reason.

If I ever write my autobiography, which I will probably never do (who would read it after all) it would be called "Places." That word has a lot of meanings to me. It has a special meaning in the theatre, it also refers to my vagabond life and it also touches on something that has been a major subject of thought and effort in my political and social leanings.

"A woman's place is in the home." There's another reactionary remark. In this country we have a Constitution that emphatically eliminates any caste system from our lives, and yet there are many who just as emphatically insist on imposing such a system on us. That powerful but invisible force has kept people down and prevented them from achieving their potential. In spite of the flowery words to accompany our rights, there are so many ways in which people are "kept in their places" by the ignorant/arrogant bigotry of others and their policies of favoritism and neglect. But the equal rights fight is still on and the winners are the do-it-yourselfers beating the keep-in-your-placers and emerging as exceptions to the stupid rules.

I grew up poor and sometimes homeless, I know where my place is. It's with the do-it-yourselfers, the place in which my country gives me the freedom and the legal right to be.

DB - The Vagabond
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May a cool breeze blow through your day.
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