From a boy_x000D_ _x000D_ I gloated on existence. Earth to me_x000D_ _x000D_ Seemed all-sufficient and my sojourn there_x000D_ _x000D_ One trembling opportunity for joy.
Alan SeegerRead
We need to confront the life-killing stereotype that says we're all about suffering. We need to bear witness to our pleasures.
Interpretation
This quote encourages us to challenge negative stereotypes about suffering and instead acknowledge and celebrate our joys.
Harriet McBryde Johnson's quote highlights the importance of confronting the misconception that defines our experiences solely by suffering. It calls for a shift in perspective, urging individuals to recognize and acknowledge the pleasures and joys in life, rather than being confined by a narrative of pain and hardship. By bearing witness to our pleasures, we create a fuller understanding of human experience that encompasses both suffering and joy.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.
From a boy_x000D_ _x000D_ I gloated on existence. Earth to me_x000D_ _x000D_ Seemed all-sufficient and my sojourn there_x000D_ _x000D_ One trembling opportunity for joy.
I don't think there's anything on this planet that more trumpets life that the sunflower. For me that's because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that's such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.
I had been simply treating water, settling on surviving and avoiding pain rather than being actively involved in seeking out life.
I think of my life as a kind of music, not always good music but still having form and melody.
Life is like a trumpet - if you don't put anything into it, you don't get anything out of it.
Life wouldn’t be worth living if I worried over the future as well as the present. When things are at their worst I find something always happens.
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