When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.
Stephen CraneRead
Sometimes, the most profound of awakenings come wrapped in the quietest of moments.
Interpretation
Awakening often occurs in the simplest and quietest moments of life.
This quote by Stephen Crane suggests that significant realizations or moments of clarity can occur during times of calm and introspection, rather than in the chaos of life. It emphasizes the idea that one should appreciate and be mindful of quiet moments, as they can lead to profound insights and understanding.
In practice
During a meditation session, I reflected on Crane's quote to emphasize the value of stillness.
When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.
I saw a man pursuing the horizon
Two or three angels Came near to the earth. They saw a fat church. Little black streams of people Came and went in continually. And the angels were puzzled To know why the people went thus, And why they stayed so long within.
Tell her this And more,β That the king of the seas Weeps too, old, helpless man. The bustling fates Heap his hands with corpses Until he stands like a child With surplus of toys.
Over the river a golden ray of sun came through the hosts of leaden rain clouds.
A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dinghy one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dinghy.
Raphael paints wisdom, Handel sings it, Phidias carves it, Shakespeare writes it, Wren builds it, Columbus sails it, Luther preaches it, Washington arms it, Watt mechanizes it.
Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned.
If you hear a statistic, you will make up a story to go with it, because our brains are organized on narrative. And you may very well make up a wrong story because you only have one fact, which is a statistic.
Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm.
Try to be "good", you'll be judged. Try to be yourself, you'll be criticized. Therefore, choose the second option. Evil uses the "nice good people" as puppets. It appears dressed as a poor guy, telling them that he needs help...When these people realize they have been used, it is already too late.
Unreasonable haste is the direct road to error.
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