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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