Most people are mirrors, reflecting the moods and emotions of the times; few are windows, bringing light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. -Sydney J. Harris, journalist and author.
It is few and far between that we are fortunate enough to find windows in our lives. I hope it becomes more happenstance as it is now that I have begun my training in Kung Fu. My life has been accidental, and now I seek to live my life on purpose.
-Bones
“My life has been accidental, and now I seek to live my life on purpose” … (Bones)
Welcome aboard!!! I will quote your response for all eternity to hear … forever … and one day, there will be millions of more folks saying the same thing!
pgmb
Good one Bones!
I am inspired by you Sir 🙂
“You are what you are in some accidental way. What are you going to be on purpose?” — PGMB
And I’m inspired by you, Diana …
pgmb
I had nowhere to share this, so I thought I’d post it here.
One evening an old Tutu Kane told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two sharks inside us all.”
One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his Tutu Kane, “Which shark wins?”
The old Hawaiian man simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Enjoyable post, David. Thanks for sharing.
pgmb
Great quote! I find that at first, most people’s eyes are hurt by the light. They become so used to their own darkness that anything else is perceived as an attack on “who they are”. But as in most things, the light becomes the norm and people will see clearly because of it. It is hard to read in the dark, but even harder to live in it.
Thanks!!!
This reminds me of a time when you were talking about how we become the people we surround ourselves with. I’m gonna find some more windows to hang around with, so that even if I’m not one myself yet, I can still reflect something decent.
It is easy to say that education is the key but harder to come up with an education plan which will produce windows instead of mirrors. It is quite the challenge to produce windows when the darkness is imbedded within our education system. Also this quote makes me wonder where the darkness came from in the first place. I have to believe it is caused by either educated people or people who have been educated incorrectly. I have seen people who were considered educated commit horrendous crimes and I wonder what type of education Sydney Harris believed would produce windows.
Furthermore, Neitzsche states, “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” I am saddened when I think about all the windows that have broken while gazing into the abyss. Author Iris Chang comes to mind.
Finally, I am curious about the people that create darkness, pain, and suffering. They cannot be mirrors unless most people exhibit those qualities and they cannot be windows because they shine no light. Perhaps in this analogy they are akin to a funhouse mirror, distorting reality and making a mockery out of life.
Thank you for the quote; it gave me a lot to contemplate.