"I won't tell you that the world matters nothing, or the world's voice, or the voice of society. They matter a good deal. They matter far too much. But there are moments when one has to choose between living one's own life, fully, entirely, completely—or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world …
Tag: greg hake
Sacredness
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" 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. …
Courage, Strength and Prudence
"Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end." ― Edward Whymper, Scrambles Amongst the Alps Any lofty goal …
Appreciation and Contentment
All the birds have flown up and gone; A lonely cloud floats leisurely by. We never tire of looking at each other - Only the mountain and I. Li Po - "Alone Looking at The Mountain" It was said that it is difficult to be content with few things, but impossible with many. There is …
Never Blind
It is said - and most people would agree - that true love is never blind. But what does that mean, really? I'm sure that the explanation is in, ahem, the eye of the beholder, but to me this statement means that seeing matters through the eyes of true love requires honesty, transparency and authenticity. …
The Fragrant Rose
The Fragrant Rose, a poem by Gregg Hake Of all the things I saw today, The cars, the planes, man’s great display- None so much did touch my heart As the fragrant rose. She sat upon her thorny perch Like an angel in a church- Trumpeting her inner joy Through the dewy air. I sat …
The Processes of Life
"Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided." - Paracelsus The achilles heel of reductionism is the almost inevitable loss of perspective on the whole that …
The Speed of Life
If increasing the speed of life was the primary purpose of living, I imagine many more people would feel fulfilled in living than do at the end of their fast-paced lives. Pace is not always secondary to quality, as is the case when you're crossing the street on foot and a car comes speeding toward …
Genuine Goodness
"Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us." ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Men I had the good fortune of spending yesterday morning deep underground in Chattanooga, Tennessee. …
Coincidences
Yesterday afternoon I was out running errands and one of them was proving to be especially challenging to complete. Due to a comical tale that I shall not retell (to protect the anonymity of the perpetrators), our hummingbird feeder was in need of repair. The glass feeder had separated into its constituent parts (luckily none …
Gregory Hake 