On trite quotes and other things
Man, that was a really cool weekend. It just made me feel good. A lot of stuff happened, and things are very different now than they were before it, but I think it was all for the best.
The weather is beautiful. While driving to Confirmation, I realized, “Wait a minute! It’s 7 o’clock, and it’s still sunny! Holy cow! It’s been black at this hour every single day of confirmation before now!” It was amazing. At first, I associated the warm weather with miserable track workouts, and I didn’t like it, but I’m warming up to it, if you know what I mean, heh heh heh. It’s a lot more fun to be outside now than it was a couple weeks ago.
I think it’s really pathetic when people leave really mean anonymous messages on other people’s livejournals. They may be trying to send a message to the person, but they just come off as petty, mean, and cowardly – like France.
Another thing that is really silly is stupid motivational quotes. Some motivational quotes are cool, such as one by Teddy Roosevelt that I will stick at the end of this journal entry. Others, though, try really hard to be brilliant and have “Chicken Soup for the Soul” painted all over them but just seem somewhat trite or unmemorable.A prime example of this is sitting on the computer desk right in front of me. The person who wrote this probably meant well, and my sister probably meant well when she wrote it on this cute fish-shaped piece of paper and highlighted the outside with light-blue (it does look really attractive), but with all apologies to my sister, this quote seems rather sad, and you probably think so, too, because this thing hasn’t moved from this desk for at least three months. Here is the quote:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “It’s easier to go down a mountain than up, but the view is always best from the top!” (Author Unknown)
The problem with this inspirational message is that to go down the mountain, I have to be at the top already! Going down the mountain and being at the top have absolutely no connection; in fact, they are inseparably linked! I have to go down the mountain unless I live there, and the easiest thing to do would be to just not go up the mountain at all, not to march up it and then march back down again! It’s inspirational cotton candy! It makes no sense!
Sigh. Well, it was a good effort, nevertheless, and obviously someone liked this quote if it circulated enough to land on my desk.
I feel good, nevertheless. I feel happy. I also feel like going to do other things, so that’s that. You all have fun….I just said “you all.”
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Explore posts in the same categories: La Vida
