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for my creative friends
Feb. 20th, 2008 08:19 pmI don't have many store "rewards" cards, but I do have one for Borders (surprise!), because they have weekly coupons. Weekendly, actually, as they are normally good from Thursday through Sunday. This past weekend's was good through the Monday holiday, and was for 40% off a book. And of course, I went back to Borders on Monday and bought Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. And I'm glad I did.
Mr. Alda takes a more introspective look at his life and himself in this book. He had the opportunity to give the commencement address when his oldest daughter graduated from college. This part stood out:
...Do you wonder if you are strong enough? Get a little perspective. Look up at the stars swirling in the heavens and see how tiny and puny they look. They're gigantic explosions, but from where we are, they're just these insignificant little dots. If you step back from things far enough, you realize how important and powerful you are. Be bold. Let the strength of your desire give force and moment to your every step. They may laugh at you if you don't discover India. Let them laugh. India's already there. You'll come back with a brand-new America. Move with all of yourself. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. It is not previously known. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing, but what you'll discover will be wonderful. What you discover will be yourself.
A lot of my friends are creative in many different ways; some get to make a living pursuing their creativity, and some pursue it simply because they cannot do otherwise. All of them are explorers, discoverers of the unknown and the previously unmade. And I admire them for that.
Mr. Alda takes a more introspective look at his life and himself in this book. He had the opportunity to give the commencement address when his oldest daughter graduated from college. This part stood out:
...Do you wonder if you are strong enough? Get a little perspective. Look up at the stars swirling in the heavens and see how tiny and puny they look. They're gigantic explosions, but from where we are, they're just these insignificant little dots. If you step back from things far enough, you realize how important and powerful you are. Be bold. Let the strength of your desire give force and moment to your every step. They may laugh at you if you don't discover India. Let them laugh. India's already there. You'll come back with a brand-new America. Move with all of yourself. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. It is not previously known. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing, but what you'll discover will be wonderful. What you discover will be yourself.
A lot of my friends are creative in many different ways; some get to make a living pursuing their creativity, and some pursue it simply because they cannot do otherwise. All of them are explorers, discoverers of the unknown and the previously unmade. And I admire them for that.
