People who claim to have bought or sold something for a song are grossly underestimating the value of songs.
A song is more than just a little ditty.
It is a life story;
told in a universal language;
that evokes emotion;
compels movement;
bears repeating;
and transcends generations.
I’m not sure how anyone can put a price tag on that.
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There is beauty in every tear.
In every disappointment.
In every loss.
Because, where there is pain, there will be art.
Somewhere down the line.
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The other day I was driving through a storm when a red light forced me into stopping at a traffic light.
As the rain was pouring down on my car, I glanced beyond the intersection.
I noticed that just past the traffic light there was nothing but dryness and sunshine.
Of course I understand that it doesn’t rain everywhere on the entire planet all at once. But, when you’re being pummeled with rain, it’s hard to envision the sun shining elsewhere at that very moment.
Until you actually see it only a few feet ahead.
It is then that you are reminded of how fleeting storms truly are.
Sometimes the most comforting place on earth is the very spot where the rain ends and sun begins.
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“If you never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame.” – Adam Duritz
Maybe that’s because the best things in life are often those most seemingly out of reach.
But, faraway is not synonymous with unobtainable.
Never was. Never will be.
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One of the best times to journal is when you are listening to an old playlist while flying over Superman’s fortress of solitude.
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14 years and still laughing.
But should we ever run out of jokes – or words – just play this song.
Because…
“when we both grow old
And there’s nothing left to say
I want you to know
That I loved you all my days
And when we close our eyes on this lifetime
I’ll see you on the other side
Yes, I’ll see you on the other side” – Brian Fallon
#happyanniversary
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A lot of people ask me to explain stoicism.
Here is the most simplistic definition that I can think of:
Stoicism is merely the realization that you are a victor of circumstance.
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Ego is the enemy of self-pride.
Just like greed is the enemy of ambition.
Ego doesn’t build self-respect. It merely masks low self-esteem.
By the same token, greed does not create wealth. It destroys it.
While I could provide countless examples, I won’t. Instead, I’ll save them for another time and venue.
But I will say this: The most confident, ambitious and wealthy people I know are neither vain nor greedy.
They are pragmatic and driven by unparalelled self-determination.
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The feather and the bag are the two most underappreciated characters in the history of cinema.
If not for the feather, we’d never know just how many lives were impacted by a man named Forrest Gump.
And as for the bag, well the plastic bag blowing in the wind serves as a constant reminder of just how much beauty there is in the world.
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The planet runs on information.
And at a meteoric pace.
Information doesn’t wait.
And it doesn’t end.
It just keeps multiplying.
And it quickly becomes outdated.
The world has become a race to find, process and use information.
Uncovering it takes curiosity.
Processing it takes cognition.
But, utilizing it in a way that no one has ever thought of – now that takes vision.
Helen Keller once said that the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.
I’ll take her word for it.
But, in today’s breakneck culture, I’m wondering if it might be just as bad to have vision but no momentum.
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Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking. – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
You wanna know what I think?
I think that people should just act as if someone is always looking.
Because someone always is.
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“Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time.” – my Mom’s fortune cookie
Ironically, time is just what you can get when you disregard the truth.
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
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“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” – John Cage
Indeed, old ideas can be downright chilling.
Like slavery, a flat earth and, yes, fiat money.
But you know what is even scarier than old ideas?
The suppression of new ones.
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The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
Paint it.
Write it.
Sing it.
And then live it.
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“Truth is like poetry. And most people f*%*ing hate poetry.” – The Big Short
Yes, truth is a lot like poetry.
Both are deeply underappreciated.
However, I disagree that most people f*%*ing hate poetry.
Most people don’t f*%*ing hate poetry.
They f*%*ing fear it.
Just like truth.
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“The most important word in art is ‘proportion.’ How much? How long is this joke going to be? How many words? How many minutes? And getting that right is what makes it art or what makes it mediocre.” – Jerry Seinfeld
I have to be honest, I don’t really get proportion.
Extremes.
Now that I understand.
But proportion? I find that to be too limiting.
Not that there’s anything wrong with it.
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“Today I will do what others won’t do so that tomorrow I can do what others can’t” – Jerry Rice
Remember that the next time you’re stuck in the office on a Friday night.
Or, even when you’re fetching coffee and making copies.
And, especially when someone steals credit for your work.
Time proves that the experience is the reward.
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A pessimist will always see a half-opened door as shutting.
An optimist always views it as opening.
And, while they are both busy arguing over which way the door is swinging, the trailblazer just walks right through.
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As was predicted by one Billy Joel decades earlier, on this day in 2003 the lights went out on Broadway. In fact, the electricity went out all across the northeast.
Here’s a pretty cool picture memorializing that evening…
I remember it like it was yesterday.
The city was in mayhem.
It was traumatizing.
Phones didn’t work.
Toilets wouldn’t flush.
And far too many unscrupulous taxi drivers were price gauging.
It cost me nearly $120 to go the bathroom.
I didn’t own a flashlight or even a candle.
All I had was a lighter and a collection of restaurant matchbooks.
The only food in my kitchen was a box of sweet & low.
But I survived.
And, went right on with the show.
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You know what’s the worst part of a great day?
A sunset.
No matter how beautiful it is.
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Rantings of a Stoic 