anyone who knows me knows i've never been much for the red, white, and blue, but i must say that one of my favorite things about baseball games is the singing of the national anthem... today i was standing in a tacqueria in the mission watching the start of game 2 of the World Series on the restaurant's tv. i stood in front of the salsa bar on the verge of tears as Lady A sang the National Anthem.
There's just something about tens of thousands of people, standing in silence, in reverence of something much bigger than ourselves, that is deeply moving. and Even though i don't think this is the best place on earth, or that we're faultless by any means, or that our policies don't directly cause poverty, death, and destruction in foreign countries, but in that moment, standing amongst the masses, i'm grateful to be here, and hopeful for what we can become together.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
"fear is a friend who's misunderstood"...
A word on fear from "The Life of Pi":
"I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread. Quickly you make rash decisions. You dismiss your last allies: hope and trust. There you've defeated yourself. Fear, which is but an impression, has triumphed over you."
"I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy. Doubt meets disbelief and disbelief tries to push it out. But disbelief is a poorly armed foot soldier. Doubt does away with it with little trouble. You become anxious. Reason comes to do battle for you. You are reassured. Reason is fully equipped with the latest weapons technology. But to your amazement, despite superior tactics and a number of undeniable victories, reason is laid low. You feel yourself weakening, wavering. Your anxiety becomes dread. Quickly you make rash decisions. You dismiss your last allies: hope and trust. There you've defeated yourself. Fear, which is but an impression, has triumphed over you."
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