Words To Live By

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books you just need to read. I read it once in high school, but I always feel it nice to go back and reread for things I may have not understood (or simply skipped) at the time. Towards the end of the book, Bradbury writes one of the most beautiful passages I’ve ever read in this type of literature through Granger, the wise character who consults protagonist Guy Montag meets after his escape from the city. The following quote can be applied to everything you do.

Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there. It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.

Do, Or Do Not. There is no Try.

Now, I’ve never watched a Star Wars movie (I know. I actually have been living under a rock), but I was reading Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, by Chuck Klosterman yesterday where I came across Jedi Master Yoda’s quote, “Do, or do not. There is no ‘try.’”

At this point I put the book down and reflected on what I just read. I have to say I agree with Yoda. When we attempt something, we have to pursue it as though there is no option to fail. Too often, we go into a situation with the sentiment that, if we don’t reach the desired outcome, we can at least say we tried. Sometimes we will fail, but we can’t allow ourselves to go into something expecting to. I understand we’re not going to win each and every time, but shooting for just good enough or the attempt will ensure that we never reach success.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Quote: David Bornstein and Susan Davis on Sharing Knowledge

 

“Only 2 percent of the world’s population receives a college education. If important ideas are going to spread widely, those who enjoy access must share their knowledge with the other 98 percent.” - David Bornstein & Susan Davis

I don’t believe a college degree is a prerequisite to developing important ideas, but I do believe that a college education helps facilitate important ideas. For those of us fortunate enough to have one, I think it is important to recognize the opportunity, take advantage of that opportunity, and use it to make positive impacts on those around you. When I first entered college, I was doing so because I was taught it was the key to unlocking a successful future: get a good job, make money, and retire. My experiences there taught me otherwise, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity. Thank you Southwestern University and the Dixon Scholarship program for funding my studies.

However, for every one of us who normally wouldn’t be able to attend college but was fortunate enough to do so, there are countless others who work just as hard, are just as smart, and are just as driven, but don’t end up with the chance to go. Programs like College Forward and others are helping underprivileged high school students plan for college by teaching them necessary skills, visiting colleges, and setting up interviews with current and former college students. What else can we do to help make the opportunity to experiences one of the world’s most prized institutions a reality for more people?

Quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

One of my greatest joys is learning. I learn through books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and experiences. Most importantly though, I learn through people. Everybody has something to offer, something they’ve lived through that I haven’t. I enjoy listening to those stories and hearing a different perspective from that of my own. It’s true that every person is my superior in some way, and I enjoy learning how.