Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999

Subject: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Allan C.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 10:04 AM

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
-Nelson Henderson

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 10:16 AM

Is this kind of like planting seeds for the love of gardening with no expectations on the results.

BB

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Mbo
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 10:25 AM

Too right! I do it as much as I can! "It must be so sometimes, that a person has to give up something that they love, so others may enjoy it..."-- Tolkien

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Áine
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 10:51 AM

Mmmmmmm -- puts me in mind of ole Johnny Appleseed, one of my favorite stories. Great thought there, Allan!

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Peter T.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 12:01 PM

Buenos dias, thought mavens, I am back. Great thoughts throughout, and I was pleased to see that the quoting of the Dalai Lama on Saturday (actually a quote from Shantideva's wonderful Song of the Bodhisattva) prompted gargoyle to dismiss the whole thread. You were doing something right, Banjo B!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A desultory scan suggests that Banjo Bonnie is the restrung Little Neo -- is that right?
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 12:13 PM

Peter T, I got a new moniker. How do you like it?
It kind of feels like a new hair cut.
Welcome back! Thought For The Day has been difficult to manage without you.

Banjo Bonnie

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Micca
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 12:17 PM

There is a quote whose origin I can't remember very similar in feel " He who would harvest oak trees must have patience" Those of us who do, or have, worked in eduction feel like this too, and sometimes years later, if you are very lucky, they come and tell you about something you did or said that they remember opened a door, and it makes it all worth while." Sometimes not all outcomes are visible"

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Jack (who is called Jack)
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 12:18 PM

I love this one.

Who is Nelson Henderson?

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Peter T.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 12:34 PM

Dear BB, I think you and Allan and kat did a great job. It is a bit of a burden -- the only advantage I have is that I am used to keeping an exploratory diary, so I have material on a daily basis: trying to find good quotes is hard.
I sort of miss little neo, but you were always going to grow out of that chrysalis -- and if Rick is any guide, you were a neo for about 5 minutes.
Having planted an orchard (see an earlier Thought for the Day) I subscribe to this thought completely. You forget, as you go along, that other things are growing elsewhere that you had a hand in. But it can also be scary: you think, what really stupid things I did are wandering around out there -- I have enough trouble keeping up with the stupid things I remember I have done.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Allan C.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 01:36 PM

Glad you are back, Peter! Yes, coming up with a suitable quote or anecdote is sometimes daunting for one such as I who is not known for advance preparedness in most things. You make it seem easier than it is.

As for Nelson Henderson, he seems to be someone who motivational people enjoy quoting. But beyond that, I have no earthly idea who he is. To make matters worse, my server has gone into slow motion so that I can't even do a decent search to find out more.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 03:17 PM

The only Nelson Henderson I found just now, was Nelson W. It appears he was or is a church board member for L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology. The pages I found were his own and had quite heated rhetoric about his 3 children being abducted by apparently his scientology wife, who's now divorced him, and held away from him because he dared to teach some things that Hubbard wrote without being politically correct about it, as near as I can tell.

One page is all about him losing his children and sounds a bit of a rant. The other page is what I consider to be chauvinistic quotes by Hubbard about women and that this guy is onteh fringe because the main "church" isn't following Hubbard's original intents or some such. Just a quick peek, really. I didn't want to read any more. Sorry.

I do like the above quote, though, and maybe this wasn't the same guy, but the one I found is promising phiosophies etc which help with life.

Sorry, Alan, I still luvya!Kat

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Peter T.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 04:18 PM

I think the original of this quote comes from the prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) in one of his sharia. He has a number of variations on this theme, including my favorite: "It is a blessing to plant a tree, even if it be on the last day of the world."

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From:
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 04:36 PM

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Fred Hill
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 04:44 PM

Right you are, Peter T.; on the same note, Muslim warriors were prohibited from destroying the enemies' orchards (a common practice at the time). A "civil" war cannot include innocent victims, even if they are trees.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 04:53 PM

Peter T. that is a very beautiful quote.
What is a sharia?

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Willie-O
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 05:23 PM

Remarkable meditation to put up, apparently without realizing (as I didn't until I heard it on the blessed CBC today) that this day would have been Stan Rogers' 50th birthday.

Hard to believe, when he was lost to us he was only 33 and remains ever so in the mind's eye.

The seeds he planted have grown so high and given shelter and comfort to so many more people now than during his lifetime.

Who knew?

(Let's not have a sniffle, let's have a bloody good cry...)

Bill C.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Peter T.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 05:51 PM

Fred, yes, and the same prohibition is in the Hebrew bible, in Deuteronomy, Chapter 20. It is called "bal tashchit" -- do not destroy, a famous rabbinical phrase. (I only know this chapter and verse because I teach a course in this subject occasionally, I ain't no bible scholar Banjo, actually I goofed, while tree-planting is part of the sharia (which is the Koranic-derived law of Islam), the sayings of Mohammed (peace be upon him) are actually called hadith. There are lots of collections of them, some of them with more legitimacy than others. They are very interesting, some of them funny, and some very influential, for example, in several he calls for Muslims to seek out knowledge wherever it may be found, and this helped fuel the prodigious scientific and mathematical research of the early Middle Ages.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Peter T.
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 05:57 PM

Sorry, should be a closed bracket, a period and a space after scholar and before Banjo. Got to get my rhythm back....yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Nov 99 - 06:51 PM

Well finally!!!! I am putting the Waylon Heron on flight1437/Delta at 8:45 out of Columbus for Toronto. He will be changing in Atlanta (If you fly Delta, or in the south, when you die it doesn't matter if you're going to heaven or hell...you CHANGE in Atlanta) and arriving back in Toronto at 1:12 AM (EST). Please be there to pick him up. He had a great time with Cleigh and I expect they may be calling each other in the future.

But Peter, I would certainly appreciate it if you would make arrangements in advance before your next trip, AND...Have a care for the poor bird. I mean you're an environmentalist and all and you used the poor little bird to make a point......Now you pay "virtually" no attention to him. I fixed him up with new strings for his tiny Telecaster, and some new Waylon clothes.....The stuff he had was positively THREADBARE!!! You should be ashamed of yourself. When he arrived here, why he barely had a leg to stand on. I have notified Heron Protective Services in Toronto and they will be doing a home visit and checking up on you periodically. I mean really Peter, even the little Turquoise center had popped out of his belt buckle.

So before your ass is out planting trees and such, make sure the bird is OK.......and he needs a new hatband.

Outside of these things, I'm glad you are back (although I am sure at this point you're not!)

Spaw - notonetoletgoofabadjoke

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Nov 99 - 12:25 PM

Just as I suspected....poor Heron probably had to walk home.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: Peter T.
Date: 30 Nov 99 - 01:19 PM

Dear CP, It is this way. A Waylon Heron is an outlaw, a highwaybird, and as soon as it left Canada it was always going to be trouble getting back in through customs. We flagged a diesel down, just before the rain, we sang every song that driver knew, and then somewhere I lost it, that is just the way things happen. I thought it was gone, I guessed the sound of the outward bound made it a slave, to its wandering ways. So I was glad to hear that it had found its way, along with the Siamese cat and the two dogs, to your house, and caught up with Cleigh and all.
Thanks to your note (and by the way, how much do I owe you for the flight, that must have set you back some, not to mention the clothes?) I was on hand at Toronto for the Sherman Airlines Atlanta incoming, but the Heron was not on board. A check with the OPP says that it got off in Newark when it realized that it couldn't get into Canada the normal route, and headed north up to the Quebec border to check in with the Mohawk cigarette smugglers. About an hour ago I got a call from someone claiming to be from the F.B.I. named Agent Sculdaur who told me that there were reports that a Heron had been abducted along the notorious northbound U.F.O. highway by something resembling "a big swirling light like a bad disco ball", according to New Hampshire farmer and G.W. Bush supporter, Hank O'Hare. I am of course heartsick about this. And in his new clothes too. I will keep you posted as I learn more.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Thought For the Day, November 29, 1999
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Nov 99 - 01:33 PM

... (I love you Peter) ....

Spaw