I met up with a friend a couple of nights ago. He's a brilliant chemistry professor and wonderful conversationalist.
He's not brilliant just because he has a PhD, is a leading-edge chemist, and knows what the phrase "liquid chromatography-based bioanalytical techniques to probe bioinorganic chemistry-related mechanisms that take place in the mammalian bloodstream" actually means - but also because he's extremely inquisitive and curious about life. Every single time I sit down and talk with him, I leave the conversation with a freshly-shaken view of the world around me. I love that.
Our last conversation covered many topics - from recent budgetary decisions made by the federal government and their devastating effects on research at Canadian universities, to the fabulous cheeses of Spain, to a 25-year-old rock lobster in a basement laboratory in Australia, to the near-absence of inspiration in education. We spent some time discussing the importance and absence of inspiration in academia, education, teaching and learning. This lead to a discussion of inspirational quotes.
Over the years, I've found several quotes to be a great source of inspiration. One of my favourites, I have framed at the entrance of my home:
"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you." - Sartre
Yes, it's a bit dark, but it reminds me of where I've come from and where I strive to be.
At one point in my life, when I was struggling with forgiveness (both extending it and graciously accepting it), I'd look daily at this quote:
"Forgiveness is the scent that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain
So, over coffee the other night, my friend spoke of his admiration for Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Don't be embarrassed if you don't know who he is - I admit, I didn't either. Cajal is someone we should all know. He was the father of modern neuroscience, a Nobel laureate and a man ahead of the times.
My friend shared a quote he recently came upon when reading Cajal's biography. It's become my new favourite quote:
"It is strange to see how the populace...disdains the world around it as
commonplace, monotonous and prosaic, without suspecting that at bottom it
is all secret, mystery, and marvel."
Now doesn't that give you a lot to think about? I'm going to carry this quote with me in Vietnam and use it to reflect upon the secret, mystery and marvel that I am sure will surround me.
What's your favourite quote? Please share with me in the Comments section below...I would love to hear from you.
Well, since no one else is leaving comments, I thought I'd leave one for myself.
ReplyDeleteDear Self,
Here's a quote I like:
"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?" – Henry David Thoreau
Trust me, it's paradise,
ReplyDeleteThis is where the hungry come to feed.
For mine is a generations that circles the globe in search of something we haven't tried before.
So never refuse an invitation,
Never resist the unfamiliar,
Never fail to be polite,
And never outstay your welcome.
Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience.
And if it hurts, you know what, it's probably worth it.
You hope and you dream,
But you never believe that something is going to happen for you.
Not like it does in the movies.
And when it actually does,
You expect it to feel different, more visceral,
more real.
I was waiting for it to hit me.
~~~~~
I still believe in paradise.
But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for,
Because it's not where you go.
It's how you feel for a moment in life.
And if you find that moment,
It last's forever.
Author?
ReplyDeleteCant say for sure as it is the opening and closing monologue from the move, The Beach.
ReplyDeleteI see. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete