The more you experience,
The less you know.
The sage wanders without knowing,
Sees without looking,
Accomplishes without acting.
Lao Tze
It is true, I never assisted the sun materially in his rising, but, doubt not, it was of the last importance only to be present at it.
Thoreau
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use
T.S. Eliot
Prometheus and Epimetheus were brothers, one with foresight, one with after sight. While his famous brother plays the hero, Epimetheus is often shown as the fool, yet Prometheus is a half character, a partial hero, a dream to inspire us. Looking forward, he sees what should be done and the pain that follows and does it. Lasting pain in the future, however, is easier to accept for fame than pain in the present, but pain, unfortunately, is necessarily, and without after sight, Prometheus cannot regret and cannot alone be a clear guide for humans.
Guides—this morning while jogging on a treadmill, I looked across to see a print of Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii, and it made me think about Eliot, Lao Tze, and “minor” literary figures—mostly ones forgotten but who with little pushes send us in new directions. I have met many such “minor” characters, people I’m not sure will be remembered but who understand the vital nature of literature to society. That’s not often an easy task in a culture devoted to capitalism and to destruction by being overly Promethean, but they remain, and perhaps the “attendant lord” in the long run might be much more important than the Hamlets of the world, might be the unknown Horatio at the bridge in small company protecting the city—family, friends, culture—from the all-pervasive darkness.
The less you know.
The sage wanders without knowing,
Sees without looking,
Accomplishes without acting.
Lao Tze
It is true, I never assisted the sun materially in his rising, but, doubt not, it was of the last importance only to be present at it.
Thoreau
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use
T.S. Eliot
Prometheus and Epimetheus were brothers, one with foresight, one with after sight. While his famous brother plays the hero, Epimetheus is often shown as the fool, yet Prometheus is a half character, a partial hero, a dream to inspire us. Looking forward, he sees what should be done and the pain that follows and does it. Lasting pain in the future, however, is easier to accept for fame than pain in the present, but pain, unfortunately, is necessarily, and without after sight, Prometheus cannot regret and cannot alone be a clear guide for humans.
Guides—this morning while jogging on a treadmill, I looked across to see a print of Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii, and it made me think about Eliot, Lao Tze, and “minor” literary figures—mostly ones forgotten but who with little pushes send us in new directions. I have met many such “minor” characters, people I’m not sure will be remembered but who understand the vital nature of literature to society. That’s not often an easy task in a culture devoted to capitalism and to destruction by being overly Promethean, but they remain, and perhaps the “attendant lord” in the long run might be much more important than the Hamlets of the world, might be the unknown Horatio at the bridge in small company protecting the city—family, friends, culture—from the all-pervasive darkness.
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