Four score and six.
Am I old?
Lincoln said, "Four score and seven"
at Gettysburg.
A lifetime, but not for those
who fell there.
On old movie screens,
calendar pages flutter by,
the story moves to a future date.
My calendar pages fluttered by
to this one,
my story today.
In the East, the sun rises
and goes down in the West,
rolling into night.
A day.
A night.
A gift.
***
In Charlie Mackesy's book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, the Mole asked the boy, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
The boy answered, "Kind."
***
January 9, 1961..."For of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each one of us — recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state — our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions:
First, were we truly men of courage — with the courage to stand up to one's enemies — and the courage to stand up, when necessary, to one's associates — the courage to resist public pressure, as well as private greed?
Secondly, were we truly men of judgment — with perceptive judgment of the future as well as the past — of our own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others — with enough wisdom to know that we did not know, and enough candor to admit it?
Third, were we truly men of integrity — men who never ran out on either the principles in which they believed or the people who believed in them — men who believed in us — men whom neither financial gain nor political ambition could ever divert from the fulfillment of our sacred trust?
Finally, were we truly men of dedication — with an honor mortgaged to no single individual or group, and compromised by no private obligation or aim, but devoted solely to serving the public good and the national interest."
--From JFK “City on a Hill” speech at the Mass. State House 11 days before his inauguration. (Also, quoted by Teresa Hanefin in Fast Forward, "Food for Thought")
***
What are we doing here...
 |
“You must not hate those who do harmful things. The compassionate thing is to do what you can to stop them—for they are harming themselves as well as those who suffer from their actions.” - The Dalai Lama (Also quoted by Paula Borchardt - Visual Storyteller) |
***
