Iraq and Afghanistan, as cultural and historical entities are, I think, going to become extinct under the auspices of American foreign policy. Possibly Iran, too, if we don’t change course.

In the case of Iraq, we’re supposedly “liberating” the country we are destroying. It’s now come down to killing the people we supposedly went in there to free.

Our “leaders” are such murderous maniacs that they may succeed in destroying not only those two countries but our own as well. Reminds me of another war that ended in a quagmire. Funny thing is, it’s many of the same players, like chess pieces, only they’re in different positions now… and quite a bit older and wealthier.

The costs are on the U.S. These wars have torn the country apart, turned us into red states and blue states, patriots and unAmericans, liberals and neocons. It’s left people disillusioned and skeptical of the government, and lacking confidence that we’ll ever get any of it straightened out.

The use of Fear as a tactic to bring the domestic population of the United States under control has left a long and terrible trail of bloodshed and suffering. That’s the cost here at home of being manipulated by Fear. And yes, there were all those who got killed, too… and are still getting killed… and the families they left behind. Not just the Americans. Not just soldiers or terrorists either.

So entranced by the beauty of their vision of historical “legacy” were the members of this Administration, and so enamored of the agenda in which they were engaged, that they apparently paid little attention to the consequences of what they were doing. They are all about “Shock and Awe”, the photo ops, the grand parades, the flags flying, “flowers and candy,” the little lapel pins, “we’ll be greeted as liberators,” the Presidential Medals of Freedom, “Mission Accomplished”…

I guess the stacks of corpses down at the Baghdad morgue, and those flag-draped coffins flown home under cover of darkness, aren’t something they even think much about. Those who dwell in dusty desert homes are, apparently, not entitled to such emotions as Fear, nor the desire to defend themselves against an aggressive foreign occupier. Such feelings and concerns are the prerogatives only of the “rich men dwelling at peace within their habitations,” in Churchill’s rhetoric. Oh, and don’t these guys love the WW2 imagery, too. All pomp… and circumstance be damned.

For these guys, there is only one kind of peace – a certain kind of peace, in which the rich men must be free from fear. The kind of freedom in which the wealthy are free to exploit those who are less fortunate. The kind of liberty in which those who disagree are subject to surveillance and wiretaps and No-Fly lists and they’d damned sure better show their papers when they’re asked.

I just found that comment again tonight. It’s more true than I even knew then.

Certain sounds that we are using may be associated with ancient spiritual powers as they resonate with the millions of voices who have spoken, sung, or chanted through the millennia… even if our language is not the same, even if our words are not the same, the words and sounds can only point toward the essence of sacred experience.

Like a great tree… I think of the Tree of Life… words have both root and branch meanings. They are interwoven. Indeed, they form a network like a multi-dimensional web through time, like a great fabric of reality. Words are a series of sounds whose waves of vibration exert a particular, predictable resonance or synchronization effect on nearby waves in the fabric. In the magical incantations of the Egyptians not only the name but every spoken word had its supernatural effect. Nothing could come into being before its name had been uttered.

The exact rhythm and intonation of an ancient druidic incantation was never committed to paper because it was necessary to verbalize it orally in order to teach it to succeeding generations of druids. In biblical times, “mighty in words” means not only that Moses (an Egyptian) knew the words of power but also that he was able to utter them with the correct intonation, which is a supremely important detail essential to spoken spells.

To one who understands the sense of speech
The world unveils
Its image form.

To one who listens to the soul of speech
The world unfolds
Its true being.

To one who lives in the spirit depths of speech
The world gives freely
Wisdom’s strength.

To one who lovingly can dwell on speech
Speech will accord
Its inner might.

So I will turn my heart and mind
Toward the soul
And spirit of words.

In love for them
I will then feel myself
Complete and whole.

Rudolf Steiner, The Genius of Language (.pdf), 1919

[From a comment I made on one of R.W. Dean’s poems.]

Dogs can also be rather dogmatic, too. They don’t go in for light social banter; instead, they go straight for home, expostulating on the topics that are most important to them. At these times the Dog’s narrow-minded or stubborn side can become apparent; this Sign has trouble staying light and calm when an important issue is at stake. This Sign can also be very temperamental; mood swings characterize its emotional life and often the Dog needs to run off to be alone in order to recuperate. Part of the problem is the result of this Sign’s load of irrational fears that turn into niggling anxieties that turn into hurt feelings and occasional grouchiness. This sensitive Sign needs to warm up to others over time and gradually learn to trust them. Without that trust as a foundation, Dogs can be judgmental and coarse.

The Dog’s discerning nature does make it an excellent business person, one who can turn that picky, guarded nature into a keen sense of the truth of another’s motives. Where love is concerned, Dogs often have a tough time finding the right match. They can be so anxious and overwrought in the romance dance that they’ll stress their partner to the max! In any forum, this Sign is happiest when able to be quite physically active; at home or at work, the Dog will always be constructing something new or cleaning something up in order to make things better. Dogs need to work on controlling their irrational worries and would also be well-served to relax their mile-high standards, which can sometimes wind up alienating the ones they love.

The most compatible match for a Dog is the Tiger or the Horse.

————————————————————

Dog people are honest, faithful and sincere. They respect tradition and value honor, and enjoy helping people. The Dog is very righteous, and always is the first to speak out against injustice. He is not good at socializing with friends, and rarely shines in company, but he is intelligent, caring and a good listener.

Loyal, faithful and honest, he has the most profound sense of duty. You can count on him and he’ll never let you down. And as a good listener, the Dog is also very reliable in keeping secrets for others. He simply doesn’t like to gossip.

The Dog is an agreeable companion - when he is in a good mood. But when panic strikes, he can turn nasty, and bark till he is tired. He can be judgmental, defensive and picky if you rub him the wrong way, but as long as you know how to pet and massage him, the Dog makes absolutely the best and most honorable companion on earth.

Dogs are born old and get younger as they age. They take everything very serious. You may hear the Dog complain a lot about street lamps, about traffic, or about weather, but as he gets older, the less he takes his own criticisms seriously.

The loyal Dog makes a splendid captain of industry, a priest, an educator, a critic, or a doctor. But whatever his career, it’ll have in him a spokesman whose ideals will be profound and often original.

When the fear becomes reality, Dogs go a little crazy. The Dog enters a relationship where he is the giver and the partner is the taker. He is usually very generous and loyal, and in love, he is honest and straightforward. But he will have romantic problems all his life - it’s his own fault, really: he leads himself by his emotional instability and his eternal anxiety. He is a worrier.

Among the animal zodiac, Dog individuals are the most humanitarian. To the Chinese, Dogs represent justice and equality. These are the givers in life, prepared to sacrifice their own dreams, ambitions and desires for the sake of others, particularly for those they love. Fiercely loyal to those they love, Dogs are ever ready to jump to the defense of any member of their family or friends who is being attacked by either word or deed. They have a penchant for championing the underdog. Born with an innate sense of decency and a need for equilibrium in a chaotic world, Dogs strongly denounce injustice and wrongdoing, generously giving useful and effective advice to those around them. Their warmth, empathy and genuine interest in others win them many close friendships. Dogs inspire confidence in others, and the confidence is justified. They will always do their utmost for others, and their dedication can go to the point of sacrifice. Dog people deserve to be held in the highest esteem.

The Dog makes a faithful, honest and courageous friend, and has a deep sense of justice. These people tend to be both magnanimous and prosperous, yet they can also be dogged, guarded, and defensive. Because they genuinely feel they know best, they can sometimes appear bossy. They accomplish goals quickly, their successes the result of hard work and intelligence. But the Dog never really relaxes. Despite appearing calm and at rest, his heart and mind are always jumping.

The Dog is an introvert who rarely shows his feelings; when he does it’s only because he thinks it is absolutely necessary. He’s stubborn in the extreme and knows what he wants. Frequently cynical, he is feared for his sharp tongue and his acid and disagreeable remarks. He gives the impression of looking systematically for faults in everything he touches. This is because he is the world’s biggest pessimist and expects nothing out of life.

With their forthright honesty and true moral integrity they soon become pillars of society, respected for their views and trusted by all who come to know them. Because they have the knack of gaining backing from important people, their careers are often brilliant. Dogs find it difficult to adapt to change, perhaps because they have a reputation for being innately pessimistic and expect the worst to happen. They have a tendency to become wistful and nostalgic about the past. Of all the animals in the Chinese Zodiac, Dogs are the least materialistic for they are unselfish individuals who care more about people than they do about money or success. It doesn’t worry them to be without the material comforts. Even if they are in the money, their tastes are simple enough. But if by any chance they should suddenly and urgently need money, nobody is better equipped than them to get it!

The loyal Dog makes a splendid captain of industry, an active trade union leader, a priest, or an educator. But whatever his career, it will have in him a spokesman whose ideas will be profound and often original. Nations would do well to follow such champions, for under no other sign do we find united in the same person such uprightness, rectitude and passion for work allied to so little personal ambition.

The three phases of the life of the Dog are all marred by uncertainty: anxious childhood, difficult youth, middle-age defeatist before the work is to be done, and an old-age full of regrets for not having done enough.

It is said that a Dog born in daytime [08:32am EST] will be calmer and less anxious than one born during the night. It is at night that the dog’s job is to guard the house — and thus he will be eternally on the lookout, always on the alert, barking all the time to scare away intruders and finding no time to rest. For people born at night under this sign, it’s a dog’s life!

The Loving Dog

Though Dogs have a reputation for not easily entrusting their affections, when they do, those friendships are for life. Romantically, Dogs give the impression of being cold fish but this appearance is misleading; it’s just that they’re anxious and doubt their own feelings as they do those of others. In fact, personal relationships for the Dog are the most essential and important components of his life; money, power, success — all the elements that might motivate members of other signs — simply don’t mean a thing to Dogs without first having a loving partner by their side and a stable family and home life. Some born under this influence may encounter difficulties in finding a life-long mate primarily because of the importance they attach to their relationships, but also because of anxiety related to mistrust of people they don’t know. In love, the most salient characteristic of Dogs is their loyalty. Once these people have pledged their allegiance or sworn their marriage vows, they will stick to their partners through thick and thin.

The Dog can be happy with the Horse who will let him get on with his causes in exchange for a little independence. With the Tiger, life becomes a battle — the two of them against the rest of the world. United, they will adventure together in the name of truth and justice. But it is with the placid and serene Rabbit that the Dog has the biggest chance of finding peace and quiet if he wants it. The Dog also likes the Snake, but he is in frequent conflict with the Dragon, who is too proud to accept the Dog’s caustic comments and critical approach. As for the Ram, the Dog has no time for her whims, selfishness, or superficiality.

————————————————————

Element: Earth
Color: Pale Yellow
Heading: West-North-West
Yin/Yang: Yin/Yang balanced
Chinese Name: GOU
Meaning: Fidelity
Sign Order: Eleventh
Season: Autumn
Favorable Month: October
Counterpart: Libra
Friend: Tiger, Horse
Foe: Dragon

Positives: Reliable, Persistent, Devoted, Resourceful, Unselfish, Honest
Negatives: Introvert, Nosy, Anxious, Pessimist, Cynic, Moody

Angels hit by stones
Who still have the strength
Not to draw back into the air
Beg me, wounded
And exhausted for hospitality
And still fluttering lightly
Fall asleep meek and delicate in my notebooks,
Pulling just in slumber
When they become chilly
A white sheet over their wings.
In the morning I know I’ve not been dreaming
Because of the feathers’ impression on the pages
And I hurry to memorize them
Before they’re confiscated from me
In order to decree new species
Of birds of prey.

From the poem ‘Proofs’ by Ana Blandiana, The Hours of Sand: Selected Poems 1969 – 1989.

Then said Almitra, “Speak to us of Love.”

And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them.

And with a great voice he said:

When love beckons to you follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.

Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.

He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, I am in the heart of God.”

And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

— Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Customer Service (CS) Rep. : Yes, Ma’am, how can I help you today?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install LOVE. Can you guide me through the process?

CS Rep. : Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready to install now. What do I do first?

CS Rep. : The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma’am?

Customer: Yes I have, but there are several other programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?

CS Rep. : What programs are running ma’am?

Customer: Let’s see, I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW-ESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running right now.

CS Rep. : No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOW-ESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma’am?

Customer: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

CS Rep. : My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?

CS Rep. : Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?

Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?

CS Rep. : Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other HEART’s in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?

CS Rep. : What does the message say?

Customer: It says “ERROR 412 - PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS.” What does that mean?

CS Rep. : Don’t worry ma’am, that’s a common problem. It means that the LOVE program is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in nontechnical terms it means you have to “LOVE” your own machine before it can “LOVE” others.

Customer: So what should I do?

CS Rep. : Can you pull down the directory called “SELF-ACCEPTANCE”?

Customer: Yes, I have it.

CS Rep. : Excellent. You’re getting good at this.

Customer: Thank you.

CS Rep. : You’re welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the “MYHEART” directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALIZE-WORTH.TXT, and ACKNOWLEDGE-LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete VERBOSE-SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?

CS Rep. : Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded at the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go.

Customer: Yes?

CS Rep. : LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet. They will in turn share it with other people and they will return some similarly cool modules back to you.

Customer: I will. Thanks for your help. By the way, what’s your name?

CS Rep. : You can call me the Divine Cardiologist, also known as The Great Physician, but most call me God. Most people feel all they need is an annual checkup to stay heart-healthy, but the manufacturer (Me) suggests a schedule of daily maintenance for maximum efficiency. Put another way, keep in touch………

~ Author Unknown

[Tip of the Hat to M., who found it here.]

“So much happens that is entirely out of our control… our parents die, our friends die, someday we too will die… hurricanes and tsunamis happen… governments and guerrillas wage war and it’s often those who had no part in any conflict who are the victims… experiencing all of that, even vicariously through reading the news can be horribly negative and lead to feelings of depression, powerlessness, and helplessness. That’s our kryptonite, much as most of us don’t really like Superman’s perfection, even he has a fatal flaw.

“And the gods and goddesses, whether they are real or simply creations of our own minds (I’m not here to debate that topic), whisper all around us… in the sound of wind through the trees, or the chirping of birds, or the aroma of fresh air after a rain storm… and so many of us go on in this rush-rush lifestyle of work, eat, sleep, work, repetitive cycle of existence that perhaps we are no longer listening to them, or hearing what they might advise.

“Things often do get a little unsettling when we forget who we are, where we are, what we are doing, why we are doing it. Just when things are going along swimmingly, something else we hadn’t noticed asserts itself: reality.

“Mystics do not describe enlightenment, they illuminate it. They help you recognize the path, they don’t put you on the path… because you were never really off it, you just didn’t See it. No one can give you enlightenment, teach you what it is; it must be discovered.”

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the fumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

This was something I posted over at one of the threads on Newsvine today.

“Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea
between the shores of your souls.”
— Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

“Infinite love is who we really are, and who we refuse to be.”
— David Deida

“Lips that taste of tears, they say,
Are the best for kissing.”
— Dorothy Parker

“For one human being to love another
that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks;
the ultimate, the last test and proof;
the work for which all other work is but preparation.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke

“When I think of you,
fireflies in the marsh rise
like the soul’s jewels,
lost to eternal longing,
abandoning my body.”
— Izumi Shikibu (970-1030)

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”
— Mother Teresa

“Eros seizes and shakes my very soul
like the wind on the mountain
shaking ancient oaks.”
— Sappho

“The deeper that sorrow carves
into your being, the more joy
you can contain.”
— Kahlil Gibran

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength;
loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
— Lao Tzu

“In former days we’d both agree
that you were me, and I was you.
What has now happened to us two,
That you are you, and I am me?”
— Bhartrhari

“I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.”
— Amy Tan

“Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.”
— Anais Nin

“You know quite well, deep within you, that there is only a single magic, a single power, a single salvation… and that is called loving. Well, then, love your suffering. Do not resist it, do not flee from it. It is your aversion that hurts, nothing else.”
— Hermann Hesse

“Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.”
— Jeanne Moreau

“If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.”
— Mitsugi Saotome

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
— Rumi

“The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the mediocre and vile can be transformed, and (c) doing that makes it that. We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”
— Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker

“Love doesn’t just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.”
— Ursula K. LeGuin

“Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.”
— Washington Irving

“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserves your love and affection.”
— Buddha

“If we want a love message to be heard, it has to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”
— Mother Teresa

“The curtain had been lifted, and we had had a glimpse into a magic world of romance and pictured poetry, peopled with ghosts of ‘ladies dead and lovely knights,’ – a twilight world of dark mysterious woodlands, haunted streams, meads of deep green starred with burning flowers, veiled in a dim and mystic light, and stained with low-toned crimson and gold, as if indeed one had gazed through the glass of

‘Magic casements opening on the foam
Of perilous seas in faerylands forlorn.’”

— Walter Crane, “An Artist’s Reminiscences”, 1907.

Those who spend their lives at sea
think there is no pain in the world
as great as their pain, and no fate worse
than a seaman’s fate, but consider me:
the pain of love made me forget
the pain of sea, so cruel and yet

As nothing next to that greatest pain,
the pain of love that God ordains.
The pain of sea is a pain unto death,
but I discovered it can’t compare
to the pain of love, which made me forget
my seaman’s pain, terrible and yet

As nothing next to the greatest of all
the pains that are, were or will come.
Those who have never been in love
can’t know the pain I feel, because
the pain of love makes one forget
all other pains, cruel and yet

As nothing next to the pain that exceeds
even the deathly pain of sea.

© Pai Gomez Charinho
© Translation: 1995, Richard Zenith

Thanks, M.

“You don’t hurt people for your own happiness,” was one of Anna’s parting thoughts.

As every flower fades and as all youth
Departs, so life at every stage,
So every virtue, so our grasp of truth,
Blooms in its day and may not last forever.
Since life may summon us at every age
Be ready, heart, for parting, new endeavor,
Be ready bravely and without remorse
To find new light that old ties cannot give.
In all beginnings dwells a magic force
For guarding us and helping us to live.

Serenely let us move to distant places
And let no sentiments of home detain us.
The Cosmic Spirit seeks not to restrain us
But lifts us stage by stage to wider spaces.
If we accept a home of our own making,
Familiar habit makes for indolence.
We must prepare for parting and leave-taking
Or else remain the slaves of permanence.

Even the hour of our death may send
Us speeding on to fresh and newer spaces,
And life may summon us to newer races.
So be it, heart: bid farewell without end.

p. 411, Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game, by Hermann Hesse

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meaness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whomever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

I have learned that if you must leave a place
That you have lived in and loved,
And where all of your yesterdays are buried deep -
Leave it any way except slow;
Leave it the fastest way you can.
Never turn back and believe that an hour you remember
Is a better hour because it is dead.
Past years seem safe ones, vanquished ones,
While the future lives in a cloud, formidable from a distance.
The cloud clears though, as you enter it.
I have learned this, but like everyone,
I learned it late.

I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches.
If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise,
since everyone suffers.
To suffering must be added mourning,
understanding, patience, love, openness,
and a willingness to remain vulnerable.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh
American Author and Aviator