WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
A Declaration by Robert Fulghum @ 80
byVanderleunonJuly 16, 2017
1. I declare that I shall release the vice-grip of urgency and let go of Must Do, Must Get, Must Have, and Must Be. Compulsion doesn’t increase the quality of life.
2. I declare that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence – it’s greenest where it’s watered – so when climbing daily fences, I will carry water. Or save the next fence for another day and just lie down on the grass I’ve got.
3. I declare that speed does not improve the quality of life, and the Way On is not the Interstate Highway but the inner-state of being present one day at a time.
4. I declare that it is true that life turns out best for the one who makes the best of the way life turns out. The key is improvisation in the face of the unexpected, which is always to be expected. A better name for that is surprise.
5. I declare that not knowing is the doorway into surprise and amazement. Ignorance is not a failing, it’s a ticket to ride.
6. I declare the truth that if there’s no rain, there’s no rainbows – that the lotus blossom only grows out of the mud – and that if there’s no shit, there’s no shinola.
7. I declare that what I have and what I am is what I would have wanted if I had thought this was possible long ago when I didn’t know what I wanted or who I was. Now I know what has become of me. I can laugh and keep going.
8. I declare a moratorium on worrying about how things will finally turn out – soon enough I will be what I once was – no one and nowhere – and I have been there before. No problem.
9. I declare the truth of the contradiction that I am forever alone and also forever as much a part of the universe as the most distant star. And I am not alone alone.
10. I declare that I finally accept the reality that the universe is working itself out as it should, and even if I never can comprehend that, it’s ok.
That was nice. Therapeutic Church of Happy Jack. This is better, if a bit more austere.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
— St. Teresa of Avila
ArcsJuly 16, 2017, 10:07 AM
I can but hope to be as near to there at 80 as mr fulghum was. As for you, mr van de leun, you breathe rare air. Please don’t stop doing what you do how you do it.
Whatever he may have written, I can’t shake the association of Robert Fulghum with drum circles, workshops, and the UUs. Maybe in New England Unitarianism is a somewhat-acceptable intellectual posture, but every one I’ve met doesn’t believe in God (and demands that you be reminded of that at every opportunity) but wants to go to church. Like vegans with a weekly lecture to attend.
Too many of the wrong people revere Robert Fulghum, and that’s enough for me.
SnowgooseJuly 16, 2017, 2:32 PM
What crock. Philosophy by Dr. Pangloss. Whatever will be, will be… it’s all for the good.
You can accept your world as someone else makes it, or drive change to be as you want into be…
rabbit tobaccoJuly 16, 2017, 7:32 PM
Kind of reminds me of the Desiderata
Hale AdamsJuly 16, 2017, 7:37 PM
Snowgoose,
It’s true enough that God helps those who help themselves. But one does on occasion run into to people who forget that God is in control, and He doesn’t really give a rat’s backside about how much you accomplish in this life or how fat your bank account is, but rather how you treat your fellow man.
Absent an existential threat to the nation, Rev. Fulghum’s advice isn’t to be scoffed at. At least that’s how I — a born-and-raised Protestant with New England-ish ancestry, and a recent convert to Catholicism — see it.
My two cents’ worth, as usual.
Hale Adams
Pikesville, People’s still-mostly-Democratic Republic of Maryland
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
Short version: c’est la vie.
11. I declare and it doesn’t matter if you care.
That was nice. Therapeutic Church of Happy Jack. This is better, if a bit more austere.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
— St. Teresa of Avila
I can but hope to be as near to there at 80 as mr fulghum was. As for you, mr van de leun, you breathe rare air. Please don’t stop doing what you do how you do it.
. . . and a Fly Swatter. Perfect!
A Nice credo, if you can keep it.
Well…..
Whatever he may have written, I can’t shake the association of Robert Fulghum with drum circles, workshops, and the UUs. Maybe in New England Unitarianism is a somewhat-acceptable intellectual posture, but every one I’ve met doesn’t believe in God (and demands that you be reminded of that at every opportunity) but wants to go to church. Like vegans with a weekly lecture to attend.
Too many of the wrong people revere Robert Fulghum, and that’s enough for me.
What crock. Philosophy by Dr. Pangloss. Whatever will be, will be… it’s all for the good.
You can accept your world as someone else makes it, or drive change to be as you want into be…
Kind of reminds me of the Desiderata
Snowgoose,
It’s true enough that God helps those who help themselves. But one does on occasion run into to people who forget that God is in control, and He doesn’t really give a rat’s backside about how much you accomplish in this life or how fat your bank account is, but rather how you treat your fellow man.
Absent an existential threat to the nation, Rev. Fulghum’s advice isn’t to be scoffed at. At least that’s how I — a born-and-raised Protestant with New England-ish ancestry, and a recent convert to Catholicism — see it.
My two cents’ worth, as usual.
Hale Adams
Pikesville, People’s still-mostly-Democratic Republic of Maryland