Message Forum

T H O U G H T F O R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - FIND YOUR PEACE

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. We are not here to fix, change or belittle another person. We are here to support, forgive and heal one another. ‎"Nothing binds you except your thoughts; nothing limits you except your fear; and nothing controls you except your beliefs. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and the acceptance of love.
Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love. We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us. The world changes when we change. The world softens when we soften. The world loves us when we choose to love the world. Love isn't material. It's energy... We experience it as kindness, giving, mercy, compassion, peace, joy, acceptance, non-judgment, joining and intimacy.
Humanity's mission is to find a peace that lies beyond the veil - a peace that is not of this world. The peace that is not of this world is not dependent on human circumstances. You have tremendous gifts to give; God sent them with you when you came to this earth. And while you might forget them, or doubt they exist, God does not forget, and He will show them to you. As soon as your gifts are dedicated to His work, they will blossom. Chains that might have held you back for years will dissolve. And you will feel free. You will learn that your spirit is bigger than your circumstances, as soon as you put your spirit first.

No matter what is happening in our lives, we choose how we wish to think about it. And the greatest gift we give ourselves is often our willingness to change our minds. Despite what might seem to be the saddest and most intractable situation, we have the power to believe that something else is possible, that things can change, that a miracle can happen. Inner peace doesn't come from getting what we want, but from remembering who we are. Ego says, "Once everything falls into place, I'll feel peace". Spirit says, "Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place". It is not too late. You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know. Go forth in confidence and go forth in peace. For there are angels to your left and angels to your right; angels in front of you and angels behind you; angels above you and angels below. You are loved, and you are not alone.

~Marianne Williamson~

04/23/25 04:47 AM

#5792

T H O U G H T F O R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - RISE UP

To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival. We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist. For the true measure of agriculture is not the sophistication of its equipment the size of its income or even the statistics of its productivity but the good health of the land. Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards of Creation and of their land's inheritors, contribute to the welfare of society in more ways than society usually acknowledges, or even knows. These farmers produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, they conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery. A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one’s accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes.
The grower of trees, the gardener, the man born to farming, whose hands reach into the ground and sprout, to him the soil is a divine drug. He enters into death yearly and comes back rejoicing. He has seen the light lie down in the dung heap and rise again in the corn. Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating.
The pleasure of eating should be an extensive pleasure, not that of the mere gourmet. The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared food, confronts inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived. People who know the garden in which their vegetables have grown and know that the garden is healthy will remember the beauty of the growing plants, perhaps in the dewy first light of morning when gardens are at their best. Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.
If you grow a garden you are going to shed some sweat, and you are going to spend some time bent over; you will experience some aches and pains. One of the most important resources that a garden makes available for use, is the gardener's own body. A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race. Eating with the fullest pleasure - pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance - is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living in a mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.
Only by restoring the broken connections can we be healed. Connection is health. And what our society does its best to disguise from us is how ordinary, how commonly attainable, health is. We lose our health -- and create profitable diseases and dependencies -- by failing to see the direct connections between living and eating, eating and working, working and loving. The miraculous is not extraordinary but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread. Whoever really has considered the lilies of the field or the birds of the air and pondered the improbability of their existence in this warm world within the cold and empty stellar distances will hardly balk at the turning of water into wine which was, after all, a very small miracle. We forget the greater and still continuing miracle by which water (with soil and sunlight) is turned into grapes. When I rise up, let me rise up joyful like a bird. When I fall, let me fall without regret like a leaf. We can grow good wheat and make good bread only if we understand that we do not live by bread alone. We cannot know the whole truth, which belongs to God alone, but our task nevertheless is to seek to know what is true. If we can't afford to take good care of the land that feeds us, we're in an insurmountable mess.

~Wendell Berry~

04/23/25 04:53 AM

#5793

New Study: Blood Pressure, Combined with This,

Seriously Influences Dementia Risk
By Miranda Manier
https://www.thehealthy.com/

A leading professor of geriatric medicine finds "high-level evidence" for two things to add to your life—plus two to avoid—to maintain a healthy memory. According to the World Health Organization, 55 million people around the world have dementia, the symptoms of which can range from issues with memory and language to big changes in mood.
While research has shown that activities like brain games or other memory exercises can help you protect your mind from dementia, many other seemingly unrelated factors also play into your long-term cognition. For example, a June 2024 review published in Maturitas, an international journal publishing research on midlife health, highlighted two particular health metrics that appear to play roles in long-term cognitive (brain) wellness.
This comprehensive review by Leon Flicker, MB, BS, NSW, PhD, a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Western Australia and executive director of the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing [sic], was partly based on a May 2023 lecture from the 14th European Congress on Menopause and Andropause. Dr. Flicker evaluated various strategies for preventing cognitive decline to identify which lifestyle changes could make a difference in long-term brain health.
Dr. Flicker found “high-level” evidence that managing blood pressure and engaging in regular physical activity can have protective effects on memory. One trial he evaluated showed that managing hypertension can “significantly” reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment, while numerous studies he examined affirm the cognitive benefits of regular exercise—particularly resistance training.
Though Dr. Flicker notes that the research varies, other factors he studied can also affect brain health. According to the review, completing higher levels of education and having a more active social life are both associated with lower dementia risk, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning and maintaining strong relationships. Avoiding head injuries and quitting smoking are also crucial for brain health, though direct evidence linking them to dementia prevention is limited.
While Dr. Flicker says further research may be needed, these findings underscore the importance of a holistic approach to maintaining cognitive function through healthy lifestyle choices. That morning crossword and cutting back on binge-watching sessions can be good for your brain, as is a general commitment to your health to protect your memory for years to come.

This is for information purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

04/24/25 01:31 AM

#5794

T H O U G H T F O R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - ASK FOR WISDOM AND GUIDANCE

Sometimes it's better to be kind than to be right. We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens. You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger. Holding on to anger is like poisoning yourself and hoping someone else will die. A man may conquer a million men in battle but one who conquers himself is, indeed, the greatest of conquerors. Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.
The world is a looking glass. It gives back to every man a true reflection of his own thoughts. Rule your mind or it will rule you. Your mind is a powerful thing. Mind is everything. What we think, we become. When you filter it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change. One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and One life can change the world. What you have become is the result of what you have thought. Change is never painful, only the resistance to change is painful. Develop a mind that is vast like space, where experiences both pleasant and unpleasant can appear and disappear without conflict, struggle or harm.
Everything that happens to us is the result of what we ourselves have thought, said, or done. We alone are responsible for our lives. The way to happiness is keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Do as you would be done by. The person who masters himself through self-control and discipline is truly undefeatable. Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it. Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. You can search the world over and you will find no one who is more deserving of your kindness and well-wishing than you yourself. Those who are truly wise will remain unmoved by feelings of happiness and suffering, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, gain and loss. They will remain calm like the eye of a hurricane.
Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. There is no meditation without wisdom, and there is no wisdom without meditation. Master your words. Master your thoughts. Never allow your body to do harm. Follow these three roads with purity and you will find yourself upon the one way, The way of wisdom. Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it. Find out for yourself what is truth, what is real. Discover that there are virtuous things and there are non-virtuous things. Once you have discovered for yourself give up the bad and embrace the good. In our lives, change is unavoidable, loss is unavoidable. In the adaptability and ease with which we experience change, lies our happiness and freedom.

~Gautama Buddha~

04/24/25 01:36 AM

#5795

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
TO
GERALD BEST

One must pass through the circumference of time before arriving at the center of opportunity. A man of honour should never forget what he is because he sees what others are. True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island... to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.
~Baltasar Gracian~

04/24/25 01:42 AM

#5796

04/24/25 08:39 AM

#5797

04/24/25 08:53 AM

#5798

Gerald Best

Thank you all for the birthday wishes and I really got a kick out of seeing that picture in the band uniform.

04/24/25 09:56 AM

#5799

Throwback Thursday

Piece by Piece, the Puzzle of Memories

Remember when we were excited to see a black person on television?

Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian-American actor, director, activist, and diplomat who broke barriers for Black actors in film and theater. In 1964, he became the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

The Supremes made no fewer than wo appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show from 1964-69.

Diahann Carroll, an award-winning actress, singer, model, and activist, broke racial barriers on television and Broadway. In 1968, she became the first Black actress to star in her own TV show, Julia, where she played a non-stereotypical character.

Nichelle Nichols appeared as Uhura on Star Trek

04/25/25 08:38 AM

#5800

04/25/25 10:02 AM

#5801

More About Jazz

Jazz is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in New Orleans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drawing heavily from blues, ragtime, and other influences. It's characterized by improvisation, swing rhythm, blue notes, and a blending of musical influences, including blues, ragtime, and European harmony. Jazz is known for its spontaneity, expressive freedom, and the ability to evoke a "emotion of the moment" through its improvisational nature.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Key Characteristics:

Improvisation: A defining feature of jazz is its improvisational nature, where musicians create new musical ideas on the spot.

Swing Rhythm: Jazz often features a distinctive swing rhythm, characterized by syncopation and a feeling of forward momentum.

Blue Notes: Blue notes are slightly lowered notes, adding an expressive and soulful quality to jazz music.

Call and Response: A common pattern in jazz where one instrument or voice answers another, creating a musical dialogue.

Evolution and Styles:

Jazz has evolved over time, with various styles emerging, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, cool jazz, and fusion.

Significance:

Jazz is not just a music genre; it's a cultural phenomenon that has influenced music, art, and literature. It represents freedom, expression, and the ability to create something new on the spot.

Musical Instruments:

While a wide variety of instruments can be used in jazz, common instruments include saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, and drums.

04/26/25 08:36 AM

#5802

04/26/25 01:31 PM

#5803

04/27/25 08:25 AM

#5804

04/27/25 10:09 AM

#5805

WORSHIPPING GOD DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN IN CHURCH

Worshipping God is not simply the sort of thing we do when gathered with other believers in church. It’s far more than what we might do in our personal devotions. True worship, according to Romans 12:1, involves giving our whole selves to God each day. The actions of our bodies become the means of worship as we live in the world for God’s glory.

What does this mean in practice?

It means you can worship God as you teach a class in school or as you stock a shelf or as you take a deposition or as you negotiate a contract or as you serve a customer or as you promote a candidate or as you hug your children or as you build a house for homeless people or as you lead a Bible study in your office or…

When you seek to worship God with your body as a living sacrifice, everything you do can become an act of worship.

04/28/25 08:24 AM

#5806

04/28/25 09:52 AM

#5807

April Warriors

Warriors born in April are enthusiastic about everything they do and are unafraid of taking risks. They feisty and possess seemingly boundless energy. They tend to be hard workers—they are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get the job done. They are also a huge fan of consistency and thrive on a routine.

They have bubbly personalities and positive outlooks. They can be chatterboxes who love attention and can sometimes want to hog the spotlight. Thanks to their ambitious and tenacious natures, they tend to be leaders. Warriors born in April can be innately stubborn and bossy—a potent combination (when used right) that can lead them to achieving their goals.

Known to be passionate, fiery, and impatient, they tend to wear their emotions on their sleeves. The good news is this makes them wonderful friends because they bring all that passion to every relationship in life.

The diamond is the traditional birthstone of April and holds significant meaning for those born in that month, thought to provide the wearer with better relationships and an increase in inner strength. Wearing diamonds is purported to bring other benefits such as balance, clarity and abundance.

The April birth month flowers are the daisy and the sweet pea. The daisy stands for innocence, purity, and true love, while the sweet pea is a way to say goodbye, send good wishes, or merely convey a thank you.

Plenty of famous people have April birthdays, including Maya Angelou, Pharrell Williams, Chance the Rapper, Jill Scott, Kelly Price, Judge Greg Mathis, Billie Holiday and Keisha Knight Pulliam.

04/29/25 01:14 AM

#5808

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

April 29, 2025: For those who feel like you have been on a roller coaster ride in an amusement park, take a deep breath, and relax. Things will begin to smooth out and be more manageable. Lean on Me and set your heart and faith on a new beginning with renewed hope and faith in Me, says the Lord. Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

T H O U G H T F O R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - A NEW BEGINNING

The more room you give yourself to express your true thoughts and feelings, the more room there is for your wisdom to emerge. Let's forgive the past and who we were then. Let's embrace the present and who we're capable of becoming. Let's surrender the future and watch miracles unfold. Miracles begin when we consider the possibility that there might be another way. Imagine the most outrageously positive possibility for your life, claim it, and consider it done. We need less posturing and more genuine charisma. Charisma was originally a religious term, meaning "of the spirit" or "inspired." It's about letting God's light shine through us. It's about a sparkle in people that money can't buy. It's an invisible energy with visible effects. To let go, to just love, is not to fade into the wallpaper. Quite the contrary, it's when we truly become bright. We're letting our own light shine.

We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what's wrong in your life, or you can focus on what's right. The way to have the life we want is to receive more deeply the life we have. Sometimes we keep our own life at arm's length, thinking we'll wait until circumstances improve before giving it all we've got. But life is just a reflection of consciousness, so it's never going to give any more to us than we give to it. Don't wait for a perfect life; breathe in the life that's already perfect. With every thought we think, we either summon or block a miracle. It is not our circumstances, then, but rather our thoughts about our circumstances, that determine our power to transform them....you're on this earth with a divine purpose: to rise to the level of your highest creative possibility, expressing all that you are intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically in order to make the universe a more beautiful place.

Where there is lack, God’s abundance is on the way. Hold on. Have faith. It’s coming. In each of us, there lies a divine connection to a power more powerful than hate or violence. Today is the day to attune to that power and use it on behalf of peace on earth. Just as you wouldn't leave the house without taking a shower, you shouldn't start the day without at least 10 minutes of sacred practice: prayer, meditation, inspirational reading. Don't be concerned that things appear to be falling apart: this has to happen in order for something new and wonderful to emerge. Something very beautiful happens to people when their world's fallen apart: a humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor. It takes courage...to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives. You don't need a new life, just a new lens through which to view the one you have. You can live your life out of a circumstance, or you can live your life out of a vision.

Prepare for the new; expect the new; embrace the new. Otherwise, you'll just repeat what's old. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Always be open to new beginnings. To the universe, every moment is the start of the next big thing in your life. Dear God, Please send to me the spirit of Your peace. Then send, dear Lord, the spirit of peace from me to all the world. Amen. There is no such thing as a faithless person; we either have faith in the power of love, or faith in the power of fear. For faith is an aspect of consciousness. Have faith in love, and fear will lose its power over you. Have faith in forgiveness, and your self-hatred will fall away. Have faith in miracles, and they will come to you.

~Marianne Williamson~

04/30/25 04:26 AM

#5809

T H O U G H T F O R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - SOLUTIONS TO DIFFICULT PROBLEMS

In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life. People’s beliefs about their abilities have a profound effect on those abilities. Self-belief does not necessarily ensure success, but self-disbelief assuredly spawns failure. People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided. People who believe they have the power to exercise some measure of control over their lives are healthier, more effective and more successful than those who lack faith in their ability to effect changes in their lives.
We are more heavily invested in the theories of failure than we are in the theories of success. Coping with the demands of everyday life would be exceedingly trying if one could arrive at solutions to problems only by actually performing possible options and suffering the consequences. What people think, believe, and feel affects how they behave. The natural and extrinsic effects of their actions, in turn, partly determine their thought patterns and affective reactions. Among the types of thoughts that affect action, none is more central or pervasive than people's judgments of their capabilities to deal effectively with different realities. Convictions that outcomes are determined by one's own actions, can be either demoralizing or heartening, depending on the level of self-judged efficacy.
Success and failure are largely self-defined in terms of personal standards. The higher the self-standards, the more likely will given attainments be viewed as failures, regardless of what others might think. People who grossly overestimate their capabilities undertake activities that are clearly beyond their reach. As a result, they get themselves into considerable difficulties, undermine their credibility, and suffer needless failures. Some of the missteps, of course, can produce serious, irreparable harm. People who hold a low view of themselves will credit their achievements to external factors, rather than to their own capabilities. People who are insecure about themselves will avoid social comparisons that are potentially threatening to their self-esteem. Persons who have a strong sense of efficacy deploy their attention and effort to the demands of the situation and are spurred by obstacles to greater effort.
Reasonably accurate appraisal, of one's own capabilities is, therefore, of considerable value in successful functioning. Large misjudgments of personal efficacy in either direction have consequences. Perceived self-efficacy also shapes causal thinking. In seeking solutions to difficult problems, those who perceived themselves as highly efficacious are inclined to attribute their failures to insufficient effort, whereas those of comparable skills but lower perceived self-efficacy ascribes their failures to deficient ability. After people become convinced, they have what it takes to succeed, they persevere in the face of adversity and quickly rebound from setbacks. By sticking it out through tough times, they emerge stronger from adversity.

~Albert Bandura~

04/30/25 04:32 AM

#5810

WEDNESDAY WELLNESS

Drinking This May Increase
Your Risk of Oral Cancer, Finds New Study
By Emily Surpless Published on Apr. 02, 2025
https://www.thehealthy.com/

It's a refresher, especially as the temps turn up—but 13,000 people will likely die from oral cancer in the United States this year alone. Teeth can be a tell-tale sign of good health, continual research shows, including one recent study that found the number of teeth at a certain age can hint at an individual’s likelihood to live 100 years.
Indeed, the mouth is a window into wellness: Nearly 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year, estimates the American Cancer Society, and 12,770 could see their lives shortened—and though it’s not too tough to diagnose, it can be difficult to diagnose early. The Cleveland Clinic states that many cases aren’t detected until the cancer has progressed to a late stage. Dental exams can catch early symptoms, and quitting smoking is one way to minimize oral cancer risk. So, says a new study, is avoiding sugary drinks.
In March 2025, University of Washington otolaryngology doctors (specializing in research and treatment of the ear, nose and throat) released details of their study on the effects of high sugar-sweetened beverages on oral cavity cancer risk in women. (The Mayo Clinic says the term “oral cavity cancer” is synonymous with “oral cancer” or “mouth cancer” and can present on the lips, tongue, cheeks, gums, and both the roof and floor of the mouth.)
Published in the medical journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, the study focused on 162,602 women with an average age of 43 years and included smokers and nonsmokers. It analyzed 30 years of data collected by the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), which investigated chronic disease risk factors in women’s health. Of the participants, 124 were diagnosed with oral cancer.
Researchers found that women who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened drink each day had 4.87 times the risk for oral cancer than those who drank fewer than one sugary beverage in a month. When narrowed to non-smokers or light smokers, as well as nondrinkers or light drinkers, the risk was even greater—5.46 times so. The researchers suggest this is more evidence that a regular sweet-drink vice can increase chances of cancer.
“High sugar-sweetened beverage intake is associated with various gastrointestinal cancers,” they say, but its association with oral cancer hadn’t yet been explored. The research team told MedPage Today, “This study provides support for ongoing policy pertaining to limiting sugar intake to improve health and limit chronic disease in the general population.”
While this research is a step toward better understanding oral cancer risk factors, more studies, including those involving men, are necessary to confirm results. The Cleveland Clinic notes that previous studies have found that soda—even diet soda—can increase your risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and coronary vascular disease. Try swapping that sweet afternoon pick-me-up out for sparkling water or lemon water, which some doctors recommend cutting down on kidney stone risk. And, as always, keep added sugar to a minimum.

04/30/25 04:34 AM

#5811

04/30/25 04:39 AM

#5812

05/01/25 04:35 AM

#5813

T H O U G H T F O R C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - OLD ADDICTIONS

You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality. Try it and see. You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself. In the end, we'll all become stories. There's the story, then there's the real story, then there's the story of how the story came to be told. Then there's what you leave out of the story. Which is part of the story too. In Paradise there are no stories, because there are no journeys. When we're young, we like happy endings. When we're a little older, we think happy endings are unrealistic and so we prefer bad but credible endings. When we're older still, we realize happy endings aren't so bad after all.
Oppression involves a failure of the imagination: the failure to imagine the full humanity of other human beings. And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional. Men and women are not "equal" if "equal" means "exactly the same." Our many puzzlements and indeed unhappiness's come from trying to figure out what the differences really mean, or should mean, or should not mean. Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them. We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly. Which of us can resist the temptation of being thought indispensable? Stupidity is the same as evil if you judge by the results. There is no fool like an educated fool. If you're not annoying somebody, you're not really alive. If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged.
Another belief of mine; that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise. We understand more than we know. For years I wanted to be older, and now I am. Now I know better. I look at the faces in newspapers, in magazines, and wonder: what greed, what furies drive them on? The world is being run by people my age, men my age, with falling-out hair and health worries, and it frightens me. When the leaders were older than me, I could believe in their wisdom, I could believe they had transcended rage and malice and the need to be loved. Every habit he's ever had is still there in his body, lying dormant like flowers in the desert. Given the right conditions, all his old addictions would burst into full and luxuriant bloom. If he wants to be an asshole, it's a free country. Millions before him have made the same life choice. Why is it we want so badly to memorialize ourselves? Even while we're still alive. We wish to assert our existence, like dogs peeing on fire hydrants. The sands of time are quick sands ... so much can sink into them without a trace.

~Margaret Atwood~

05/01/25 04:47 AM

#5814