Tell, Ask for, and Listen to Stories About Each Others’ “Essential Matters”
When we share our stories with one another, that is when we truly connect and recognize ourselves and the Universe in one another. That is when we move beyond separation and opposition and into partnership andpower and possibility.
It’s a pop sci-fi action / adventure TV show, talking about a bunch of super-evolved alien ancestors, but it also seems to be saying so much more; a more I happen to agree strongly with… Those who are truly “enlightened” do not force, judge or condemn those who have yet to find it; know that it is a never-ending quest; and are aware that there are many different paths to find it.
“I can’t speak for everyone in my galaxy, but in my own humble opinion, I don’t believe that any individual or society can achieve enlightenment through fear-mongering and force and servitude no matter what power is presented as evidence… Don’t get me wrong, we should all be trying to better ourselves. If Ascension is the ultimate end we’re all trying to achieve, then so be it, but we should all be allowed to get there or not of our own free will. Kill me for saying that, but that is what I believe. Nothing you say or do will ever change my mind.” – Daniel Jackson, Stargate SG-1 S09E03 “Origin”
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” – The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL
I haven’t read this book, but stumbled on this quote which I really like and it rings very true for me. I may decide to check this out from library, as it has good reviews, doesn’t sound too technical and it supposedly a quick and entertaining read. Regardless, I want to remember this quote.
Much of what I do would be considered blue-collar, manual labor. And I kind of like it. You can see what you have accomplished each day. I care what other’s think of my work and ethic, but mostly, I care what I think about it.
“People call this blue-collar. I don’t care what color your shirt is. You bring pride to the job, people notice. Even if they don’t, you notice.”
– NCIS S12E17 “The Artful Dodger”
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
It is commonly attributed to Buddha. In fact I most recently saw it and a bunch of other powerful quotes on this Buddha Quotes page that a friend happened to like or comment about on social media. But as this page on a “Fake Buddha Quotes” website shows the phrasing of this quote makes that very unlikely. In fact the Fake Quotes site has an entire page dedicated to the veracity the the first Quotes Page, showing that many of the quotes were not “from” Buddha. Continue reading Anger punishes
Stumbled across this old W. B. Yeats poem in the weirdest of places (a sci-fi show). The mention of this poem interested me enough that I looked the poem up and it meant a lot to me. Wish I could write like this.
“The deep and lovely dark. We’d never see the stars without it.”
The Doctor — Doctor Who S08E04 ‘Listen’
The Doctor at the end of a speech about the “superpower” of fear, and the reasons to harness and use it. The character Clara summarizes and expounds on this idea near the end of the episode:
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you? Fear is a superpower. Fear can make you faster and cleverer and stronger. … You’re always going to be afraid, even if you learn to hide it. Fear is like a companion, a constant companion, always there. But it’s okay because fear can bring us together. Fear can bring you home. Fear makes companions of us all.” Clara — Doctor Who S08E04 ‘Listen’
Started re-watching the latest season (season 8 of the new series) of Doctor Who, as the last episode should be coming out in a couple of days. For the most part, I haven’t been a big fan of most of this season, but the first several were pretty good. And the second to last one kind of grabbed my attention too. It’s interesting to note that most of the episodes that I have liked from this season were written or co-written by Moffat. The other episodes haven’t necessarily been bad. They had great acting and production values as usual. It’s just that the writing (the plot and banter) just did not grab me and hold my interest. The first time watching many of them, I got involved doing something else while watching. Still there are quite a few episodes, this one included, that grabbed my from the get go and wouldn’t let go.
“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Richard Biggs as Dr. Stephen Franklin in Babylon 5
Dr. Stephen Franklin: “I realized I always defined myself by what I wasn’t… Always what I wasn’t, never what I was. And when you do that, you miss the moments. And the moments are all we’ve got… I can’t go back, but I can appreciate what I have right now. And I can define myself by what I am instead of what I’m not.”
Captain John Sheridan: “What are you?”
Franklin: “Alive. Everything else is negotiable.”
Babylon 5, S03E21 “Shadow Dancing” – written by J. Michael Straczynski
It’s a pop sci-fi action / adventure TV show, talking about a bunch of super-evolved alien ancestors, but it also seems to be saying so much more; a more I happen to agree strongly with… Those who are truly “enlightened” do not force, judge or condemn those who have yet to find it; know that it is a never-ending quest; and are aware that there are many different paths to find it.
Stumbled across this old W. B. Yeats poem in the weirdest of places (a sci-fi show). The mention of this poem interested me enough that I looked the poem up and it meant a lot to me. Wish I could write like this.
