Archive for April, 2007
The Present Crisis [Written in 1844, this poem provided inspiration for the leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. When deciding on a name for their new publication in 1910 they agreed that the name of their magazine should be The Crisis.] WHEN a deed is done for Freedom, through the […]
Filed under: Knotbabble | Leave a Comment
Steel-bright in its upper range and, at its best, silky smooth, it was possessed of a purity somehow impervious to both the stress of singing above a twelve-piece band and the urgency of Rushing’s own blazing fervor. On dance nights, when you stood on the rise of the school grounds two blocks to the east, […]
Filed under: America, Great Writing Sample, Music, white/black | Leave a Comment
America is woven of many strands; I would recognize them and let it so remain. It’s ‘winner take nothing’ that is the great truth of our country or of any country. Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat. Our fate is to […]
Filed under: America, white/black | Leave a Comment
David Halberstam
Henry Allen in the Washington Post: David Halberstam was out to save the world back in the ’60s and ’70s when a lot of smart people believed that journalism would save the world, and Halberstam was just the man to lead the way, a big, bombastic man with big shoulders and features and a face […]
Filed under: Knotbabble | Leave a Comment
Vaclav Havel
On July 4, 1994, Vaclav Havel, president of the Czech Republic, gave a speech which might be called a state of the times address, while standing in front of the Philadelphia Liberty Bell and receiving The Philadelphia Liberty Medal. “Today, this state of mind or of the human world is called post-modernism. For me, a […]
Filed under: Great Speeches | Leave a Comment
Addiction and Human Inertia
human inertia, from the blog Yeah, Whatever do you believe in addiction? at times i have, and at times i have not. now i want to redefine it, at least for myself. i believe addiction is primarily human inertia. let me explain…
Filed under: Knotbabble | Leave a Comment
Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl
“Unlike an animal, man is no longer told by drives and instincts what he must do. And in contrast to man in former times, he is no longer told by traditions and values what he should do. Now, knowing neither what he must do nor what he should do, he sometimes does not even know […]
Filed under: Meaningful/Meaningless | Leave a Comment
T. Mann and the Transitories
I quoted this essay in my last post, but, having reconsidered its import, I must post it in its entirety. Thomas Mann, written for the radio program “This I believe,” 1951 What I believe, what I value most, is transitoriness. But is not transitoriness–the perishableness of life–something very sad? No! It is the very soul […]
Filed under: Meaningful/Meaningless | Leave a Comment
“The world is brutal and cruel, and yet, it is full of divine beauty. To live is to encounter the cold bitterness of authentic suffering. We find ourselves bumping up against meaninglessness all the time. Each action we take, how we encounter each situation. Any yet it is our job to imbue the world with […]
Filed under: Meaningful/Meaningless | Leave a Comment
Howard Thurman
“Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you.” –Howard Thurman “Life goes on. Over and over we must know that the real target of evil is not the destruction of the body, the reduction to rubble of cities; the real target of evil is to corrupt […]
Filed under: Faith | Leave a Comment
Knot Babble 