or death for yourself or for any life your life touches.
Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed.
Place in matter and in flesh the least of the values, for these are the things that hold death and must pass away.
Discover in all things that which shines and is beyond corruption.
Encourage virtue in whatever heart it may have been driven into secrecy and sorrow
by the shame and terror of the world.
Ignore the obvious, for it is unworthy of the clear eye and the kindly heart.
Be the inferior of no man, nor of any man be the superior.
Remember that every man is a variation of yourself.
No man's guilt is not yours, nor is any man's innocence a thing apart.
Despise evil and un godliness but not men of un godliness or evil.
Have no shame in being kindly or gentle.
In the time of your life, live....
so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world,
but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.
From "The Time of Your Life" by William Saroyan, a play in five acts..1939
Beautifully worded warm sage advice. Perfect first entry for 'browing in the rearview mirror.' I love it! Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteIf I hadn't seen the authors name I would have sworn you were just paraphrasing me.
I really like this one...found while trying to figure out how to manage my RSS feeds, so I don't miss anything. Thanks for posting..I didn't realize Saroyan wrote like this. Sounds like his Muse was tapping into the Greek Philosophers.
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