Monday, August 27, 2012

Pearls Of Wisdom

When I was in high school, my World History teacher made class very interactive.  Every day, there was a quote on the blackboard.  It might be from any source, but it always was thought provoking and we invariably discussed it.  We didn't stop there.  We were each encouraged to either quote as did our teacher, or we could come up with something of our own.  We referred to this as 'pearls of wisdom'.

My favorite was 'This above all, to thine own self be true'.  Hamlet, Act 1, scene 3

Be loyal to what's right for you.  Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.  Good advice when taken in the right context.

Polonius was self serving, duplicitous.  The quote is seen of course in a healthier light.  The point is for those of us who seek to do the right thing, being honest and helpful, it's a natural way.  For Polonius, Hitler, Putin, Obama etc., it means something else entirely.  It means equivocation, coverup, justifying wrong.  Currently that boils down to such an event as the gunwalking affair for instance.

Will I get in trouble for lumping modern politicians with fictitious and classic villains?

Well, I'm being true to myself.  I'm telling the truth as I see it.  Take it or leave it, come what may.

I'm grateful to my teachers of that time for helping to nourish inductive/deductive reasoning, for simply thinking for myself.

Discussion, reason, facts are always the basis for this.  I don't say things on a whim.

Look at the body of evidence and decide for yourself.

Whether this sketch is a pearl of wisdom remains to be seen.

But, I am being true to myself -s-.








2 comments:

teacher said...

We live in a time like no other when people are being censured for telling the truth. That is, the volume of punishment is higher than any time in history.

Mike H said...

People always have been censured for telling the truth. But I agree we have reached a tragic point. And that it will go back on the perps because we are also shedding light more than ever, picking up the torch and carrying on.