He's not Jesus

[SteveSalmon]

~SS

[naturelover24]

super sweet man! like the insight! thanks dude

[Anewanddifferentsun]

Thank you both for your kind words. I'm just a stick in this soup we call life. Once in a while something grabs hold of me and stirs. Right now, I'll leave you with this bit of froth that has bubbled upon the edges of my mind...
"This is what you shall do: love the earth and sun and animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence towards the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown, or to any man (edit: OR woman) or number of men/women; go freely with the powerful uneducated persons, and with the young, and mothers, of families: read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life; re-examine all you have been told at school or church, or in any books, and dismiss whatever insults your soul" - Walt Whitman

[SteveSalmon]

~SS

[bobenns]

Very thoughtful stuff there Anewanddifferentsun.

The spiritual pilgrimage of Christopher Mccandless.

Makes me think of another biblical story about Christ spending 40 days and nights in the wilderness where he fasted and was tempted.

Makes great food for thought. (pun intended)

[Anewanddifferentsun]

Love that quote by Walt Whitman.
Have you ever heard of or read the poem "Desiderata"?

In scratching my head, I hit the Google search button to find "Max Ehrmann".
May we all find peace, however we may find it.


Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

[Anewanddifferentsun]

Very thoughtful stuff there Anewanddifferentsun.

The spiritual pilgrimage of Christopher Mccandless.

Makes me think of another biblical story about Christ spending 40 days and nights in the wilderness where he fasted and was tempted.

Makes great food for thought. (pun intended)

Thirty-six days in a cave, alone, overlooking the Sea of Cortez. One-hundred and thirteen days, alone, in the Alaskan bush country. This guy is not dead. Am I wrong?

[bobenns]

Hey, Walt Whitman. Back in the 70s I got a TV just to watch The Waltons. I swore I'd never own a TV but I had to watch that show. It represented the family life I never had but wished I'd had.

Now I digress.

Will Geer admired his grandfather, a man who said hello to trees by their Latin names and who had used what he brought back to Indiana from the California gold rush to build Frankfort's first opera house. Will pursued a college major in botany, from Chicago through a Master's degree at Columbia, but ultimately gave in to his need to perform. Starting with touring company tent shows and river boats, his six-decade career included Broadway, movies, television; many Shakespeare roles; one-man performances as Walt Whitman and Mark Twain. His best know role was his last, Zebulon Walton, grandpa in the long-running television series "The Waltons" (1972). Less well-known was his life-long role as a political agitator and radical ("Someone who goes to the roots, which is the Latin derivation of radical") and folklorist/folksinger - he toured U.S. government work camps in the 1930s, singing with Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives. He was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Affairs. In 1951, he formed the "Theatricum Botanicum," a repertory theater in Topanga Canyon, California, where he not only coached actors but also encouraged outdoor philsophical discussion and, of course, folksinging. At his deathbed, his family sang "This Land Is Your Land" and recited Robert Frost poems. His ashes lie in a corner of the Shakespearean garden on the grounds of his Theatricum Botanicum.

Had a most unusual hobby of raising all the plants mentioned in the works of Shakespeare.

Personal Quotes

"For well over half a century I have never gone a day without getting acquainted with some other person, and in those times I've only had my face slapped once and been called a few names."

"I'm a lifelong agitator, a radical. A rebel is just against things for rebellion's sake. By radical, I mean someone who goes to the roots."

[Wedelen64]

Anewanddifferentsun. What a great insight. I certainly can appreciate your education and it is probably similar to mine. Although I tend to study religions from a mythical perspective (like Joseph Campbell on comparative religion, The Power of Myth) I think you insight is refreshing.

To all: I do agree about people putting Chris on a pedestal (with Jesus).
I used to do the same. Then one day I thought to myself "how would Chris feel about being put on a pedestal". The answer is he would hate it and say something like "please concentrate on the message I am trying to convey and dont worry so much about my person".

Great perspectives everyone. I enjoy the discussions very much!

[JesusIsLove777]

quick fyi, i see a lotta yall saying "oh im not religious" when they refer to Christ and all of that.. but i live for jesus and im the farthest thing from religion. in fact, i hate it, which is why i have a ton of common ground with mis-informed atheists who think living for Jesus means living for "religious oppression", when in reality, it is a what life is all about. see, religion is something that has been perverted over the years into minimizing what Christ did for us... it in now way has any impact on bringing anybody to Jesus... and it also causes more problems than it does fix them...

in my opinion. most christians tend to be arrogant and think they are better than non christ followers... but living for jesus is NOT a religion... religion brainwashes the world, Christ renews it... just thought i'd clarify!