Two quotes and a poem
“Anybody can do just about anything with himself that he wants to and makes up his mind to do. We are capable of greater things than we realize.” –Norman Vincent Peale
A few thoughts. One is a joke my Dad has about this motivational speaker, that his name is really Norman Vincent Spiel. Peale was before my time, but he seemed to be like an earlier version of Joel Osteen, who is also relentlessly optimistic in his sermons. Sometimes I like that; it is important to have a positive attitude, especially in the midst of prolonged adversity and if you are psychologically negative by nature. But Osteen’s remarks begin to tire me after about 15 minutes. The comedian Chris Farley did probably one of the best satires of motivational speaking on Saturday Night Live.
“Often God has to shut a door in our face, so that He can subsequently open the door through which He wants us to go.” –Catherine Marshall
Marshall was another 20-th century motivational speaker. Her quote brings to mind two other sayings. One is from a high school buddy who became very successful in business; it is something like, “when one door closes, another opens.” The other is Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous line that “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Catholicism also holds that there is a redemptive quality to unwarranted suffering.
“Happened Part 2” by yours truly
“People, this is a controversial opinion, but it seems to me that the past happened. Many, maybe most, will disagree about this. Anyway, this country has freedom of speech… I think.”
“Ohh!”