My Creed

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
I would be friend of all – the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift.
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up – and laugh – and love – and lift.
—   written by Howard Arnold Walter
[I found this in paragraph format.  I prefer my own poetic format (above) which is not quite the same way I had it written in my journal from back in the 1970’s.  —  KMAB]
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The Only Way to Win

It takes a little courage
And a little self-control
And some grim determination,
If you want to reach the goal.
It takes a deal of striving,
And a firm and stern-set chin,
No matter what the battle,
If you really want to win.
There’s no easy path to glory,
There’s no rosy road to fame.
Life, however we may view it,
Is no simple parlor game;
But its prizes call for fighting,
For endurance and for grit;
For a rugged disposition
And a “don’t-know-when-to-quit.”
You must take a blow or give one,
You must risk and you must lose,
And expect that in the struggle
You will suffer from the bruise.
But you mustn’t wince or falter,
If a fight you once begin;
Be a man and face the battle—
That’s the only way to win.
—   by Anonymous
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Are We, Are We?

Are we staying up for New Year’s? Are we? Are we?
When you’re tuckered out after a full day of island surfing for food, sometimes you just got to kick back with some couch surfing for the camera.
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On Not Playing The Game

We can’t have a shoot-out without guns.  We’d lose.
—  the character “Handsome Rob” (played by Jason Statham)
From the film: “The Italian Job“
[I have resisted making a comment on the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, not because of I’ve no opinion, but because the thought of all those children and teachers being gunned down remains too horrific for me to wrap my head around.  It still is and I can’t sit and think of it too long without profound feelings of senseless loss.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution states: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.“
If we are to accept the National Rifle Association’s claim that every individual is entitled to any weapon they choose (irrespective of the weapon’s intended use or lethality) because “weapons don’t kill people, people kill people“, then we MUST accept that every inhabitant should also carry weapons just in case we happen upon an armed violent criminal or an armed unstable irrational person.
The NRA’s position is as logically absurd as is my extension to our logical reaction to their position.  Individuals seeking “the security of a free state” should not be placed in an unreasonable position of participating in a personal arms race to stay ahead of those who might harm us.  It is one thing to own a high-powered hunting rifle.  It is quite another to own an Uzi or a 50-cal machine gun, because your neighbor may own a mortar or an anti-tank weapon.  Where do we draw the line?
I am a defender of the Second Amendment and an individual’s right (“the right of the people“) to keep and bear arms.  I also believe in the statement “a well regulated militia“.  So, the people have a right to keep weapons, but the state has duty to regulate this right to the benefit of all concerned.  The framers of the Constitution had no concept of a modern day assault weapon (rifle or handgun or portable rocket launcher), let alone chemical weapons or tactical nuclear devices.  If they had, it seems to me they would have passed a very different amendment.
Can you HAVE a shoot-out, without guns?
Sometimes the only way to win is to not play the game…  This is the lesson of Tic-Tac-Toe.  —  KMAB]
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Scale

Now, proud man! now, where is thy greatness fled?
What art thou in the scale of universe?
Less, less than nothing!
—  Henry Kirke White
From his poem: “Time“
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Working On Reality

An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count.  A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter.  A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.
—  Sydney J. Harris
[My life is full of small steps.  One day at a time…  —  KMAB]
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That’s Success!

It’s doing your job the best you can
And being just to your fellow man;
It’s making money – but holding friends
And being true to your aims and ends;
It’s figuring how and learning why
And looking forward and thinking high
And dreaming a little and doing much.
It’s keeping always in closest touch
With what is finest in word and deed;
It’s being thorough, yet making speed;
It’s daring blithely the field of chance
While making labor a brave romance;
It’s going onward despite defeat
And fighting staunchly, but keeping sweet;
It’s being clean and it’s playing fair;
It’s laughing lightly at Dame Despair;
It’s looking up at the stars above
And drinking deeply of life and love.
It’s struggling on with the will to win
But taking loss with a cheerful grin;
It’s sharing sorrow and work and mirth
And making better this good old earth
It’s serving, striving through strain and stress;
It’s doing your noblest – that’s Success!
—  written by:  Berton Braley
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Inside All Truth Is A Vacuum

The universe is exploding, racing out in all directions from a central point.  What, then, exists at the central point?  Nothingness?  Is it possible that the very heart of the material universe is a void?  Absolute emptiness?  Maybe the same thing is true of life: perhaps men should be warned against seeking too much, against probing too deep, lest they fall into the emptiness.  Inside all truth is a vacuum, and you must stay clear of it or it will be drawn into you.
—  anonymous
[To which I can only respond:  “Naw…”  —  KMAB]
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Merry Christmas – 2012

What I am trying to do is to discover why God included humans in the Universe.
—  R. Buckminster Fuller
From: “Critical Path” (1981)
[I’m still trying to figure this out too.  In the meantime, good will to all mankind!!  Merry Christmas, everyone!  —  KMAB]
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Positive Thoughts

Thinking
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
—   written by: Walter D. Wintle
[I’ve added the poem above (another of those “positive thinking” / optimistic view poems I like so much) to my Poems page.
I guess we do become our philosophy…
Enjoy!  —  KMAB]
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Hope Works

The man who hopes believes in a better future.
He is someone who works to make his future happen!
—  an anonymous quote from my eighth grade graduation program
[I find it interesting how many times and in how many ways “hope for the future” was inculcated into my life from an early age.  —  KMAB]
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High Anxiety

Anxiety is inevitable in an age of crisis like ours.  Don’t make it worse by deceiving yourself and acting as if you were immune to all inner trepidation.  God does not ask you not to feel anxious, but to trust Him no matter how you feel.
—  Thomas Merton
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Mine Stands

…That all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noon-day brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruin – all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand.
—  Bertrand Russell
[I do not dispute the eventual destruction of the earth or of our solar system.  I dispute the inevitable destruction of mankind and man’s spirit.  Barring an “extinction level event” before we are able to colonize space and visit other stars, man will endure.  —  KMAB]
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Telling Her

When you love a woman, you tell her that she’s really wanted.  You tell her that she’s the one, ’cause she needs somebody to tell her that it’s gonna last forever.
You got to give her some faith – hold her tight.  When you love a woman, fight for her.  And tell her that you would rather be alone than with anyone else!  Respect and trust will go a long way.  A little tenderness – gotta treat her right.  She will be there for you, taking good care of you.
—  From the blog: http://wanderlass007.wordpress.com/
The specific blog post was: http://wanderlass007.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/when-you-love-a-woman/
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Simple, Ordinary And Wonderous

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.”  Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt´s Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter´s Basilica
7. China´s Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet.  So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.  The girl replied, “Yes, a little.  I couldn´t quite make up my mind because there were so many.”
The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.”
The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
7. And to Love.”
The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!
A gentle reminder — that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.
[The above was “borrowed” from an posting on Facebook.  (Thanks, Frank!)  —  KMAB]
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