Ray's Daily

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers.

You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.

Naguib Mahfouz

 

 

 

If wisdom is shown by the questions we ask more than the answers we give I hope quantity counts for as those of you who know me know I always have lots of questions. I suspect however that Mahfouz would probably place more emphasis on the quality of the questions. In my case I find that the search for answers is one of life’s great rewards, unfortunately I think too many these days provide unfounded opinion and take too little time searching for truth.

If you have been reading the daily for any length of time you know how much I appreciate the wisdom of those who have left quotes that provide us either insight or a portal to walk through to find our own answers. Today I thought I would dip into a few of those quotes and see where they may lead my thoughts.

Mary Anne Radmacher once said that “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”  I really think she is right but I am not sure it is as much courage as strength of character. In my experience perseverance pays, problems often look different when revisited and the victory is sweeter when the battle is not easy. Winners don’t drop out nor slack off they pull themselves up and keep at it.

Sir Winston Churchill wrote “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” – Ah yes! The anticipation that comes from looking forward to tomorrow’s opportunities is the fuel that feeds the engine. The past is truly prologue and today is the stepping stone that leads us to tomorrow’s promise. It is the weary traveler who stops to rest or even dwell that never gets to see the flowers on the other side of the hill. It is the journey that fills our lives not the destination.

And lastly Gail Sheehy said "Ah, mastery… what a profoundly satisfying feeling when one finally gets on top of a new set of skills… and then sees the light under the new door those skills can open, even as another door is closing." – This is why the journey can become so rewarding. If you are like I am each new answer or skill acquisition only motivates you to go on and learn more. Those who stop and are satisfied that they know all they need to know must step aside for the world will go on without them and soon their knowledge will be of little use.

So my friend living on is a choice you get to make, and as some one once said "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." So put on your traveling shoes and walk the walk that will embellish the time you have left, if you do you’ll be glad you did.

Ray

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Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University

1. He only had one major publication.

2. It was in Hebrew.

3. It had no references.

4. It wasn’t published in a referred journal.

5. Some even doubt He wrote it Himself.

6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since then?

7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.

8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating His results.

9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human subjects.

10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning the subjects.

11. When subjects didn’t behave as predicted, He deleted them from the sample.

12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.

13. Some say He had His son teach the class.

14. He expelled His first two students for learning.

15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His tests.

16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.

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Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

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The students in her third grade class were bombarding her with questions about her newly pierced ears.

"Does the hole go all the way through?"

"Yes."

"Did it hurt?"

"Just a little."

"Did they stick a needle through your ears?"

"No, they used a special gun."

Silence followed, and then one solemn voice called out, "How far away did they stand?"

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I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomes less and less an issue and what you are is the point.

Susan Sarandon

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She said: When I arrived for my daughter’s parent-teacher conference, the teacher seemed a bit flustered, especially when she started telling me that my little girl didn’t always pay attention in class and was sometimes a little flighty.

"For example, she’ll do the wrong page in the workbook," the teacher explained, "and I’ve even found her sitting in the wrong desk."

"I don’t understand that," I replied defensively. "Where could she have gotten that?"

The teacher went on to reassure me that my daughter was still doing fine in school and was sweet and likeable. Finally, after a pause, she added, "By the way, our appointment was for tomorrow."

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I panicked and hung up! What kind of sick company has an actual PERSON answer their phone?!

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Mrs. Taylor, asked her 5th grade history class, "When was Rome built?" and called on Timothy to answer first.

"Rome was built at night." was his answer.

"At night?" asked Mrs. Taylor, holding her ruler firmly in her hands.  "How ever did you get such an idea?"

"Well," gulped the student, hoping his answer would satisfy her, "everyone knows Rome wasn’t built in a day."

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Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty, fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars.

Joan L. Curcio

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An influential Londoner wound up a business trip to the Orient with a visit to Taipei. At a luncheon, he was asked to say a few words. Since he spoke not a word of Chinese, his address was to be translated by an interpreter, sentence by sentence. "I want you to know," he began, "I’m tickled to death to be asked here today."

A look of panicked confusion appeared on the interpreter’s face. "This poor man," he said in Chinese, "Scratches himself until he dies, only to be with you today."

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We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.

George Bernard Shaw

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Stay well, do good work, and have fun.