"Eventually, I sickened of people, myself included, who didn't think enough of themselves to make something of themselves--people who did only what they had to do and never what they could have done. I learned from them the infected loneliness that comes at the end of every misspent day. I knew I could do better."
--Mark Twight, "I Hurt, Therefore I Am"
"I believed in belief, for its own shining sake. To believe in the face of utter hopelessness, every article of evidence ot the contrary, to ignore apparent catastrophe--what other choice was there?...We are so much stronger than we imagine, and belief is one of the most valiant and long-lived human characteristics. To believe, when all along we humans know that nothing can cure the briefness of this life, that there is no remedy for our basic mortality, that is a form of bravery. To continue believing in yourself...believing in whatever I chose to believe in, that was the most important thing..."
--Lance Armstrong, "It's Not About the Bike"
"'It's not what you do but who you are.' I kind of got hung up on that a lot, because I always thought who I was, was very much wrapped up with what I did. That I was happy because of the things that I did that made me happy. If things you do make you happy, then they can also make you unhappy...the pitfall that I have fallen into, of letting my ability to create what I want in my life convince me that 'I am' only insofar as 'I do.' Yes, I am a mountaineer, an engineer, a music enthusiast, an outdoorsman. But I am not only those things; I am also a person who enriches other people's lives, and whose life is enriched by other people when I let them...A lot of really good people have spent a lot of time with me. Very often I would tend to ignore or diminish their presence in seeking the essence of the experience. All that's to say, I'm figuring some things out...The memories evoking the most gratitude for my life are of times with my family and friends. I am beginning to understand the priceless nature of their company..."
--Aron Ralston, 127 Hours
"People say that we're searching for the meaning of life. I don't think that's it at all. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane, will have resonances within our innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."
--Joseph Campbell, "The Power of Myth"
"...our purpose as spiritual beings is to follow our bliss, seek our passions, and live our lives as inspirations to each other. Everything else flows from that. When we find inspiration, we need to take action for ourselves and for our communities."
--Aron Ralston, 127 Hours
Monday, January 24, 2011
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