Tuesday, April 20, 2010

LIVING VS EXISTING



Potter's Furnace, Seagrove, NC
Chinese Red Pots, Seagrove, NC

"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
Than it should be stifled by dryrot.
I would rather be a superb meteor,
Every atom of me in magnificent glow, Than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time."
--Jack London's published credo

Just as iron is hardened to steel and clay vessels are hardened to beautiful vases, we are all hardened in the crucible of life so that we can grow our character (not our personality) on our life's journey. This is the ultimate human job description. And we do not accomplish this by cowering from life in a vain attempt to extend the days of our lives, but by fully engaging them in the heat of battle so that we not only emerge bloodied and fully used up, but completed.

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