Favorite Quotes to Live By -- Thoreau and Lewis
Thoreau once said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." This quote to live by, by Henry David Thoreau, has always haunted my thoughts. In a way, it's not a quote to live by, but rather, a quote to remember when I find myself living how I know I shouldn't. Whenever I find myself settling for good enough, this quiet desperation comes and begins to haunt me, telling me that I'm wasting the one thing I can never afford to lose, time. Something in my heart won't let me get away with resignation, and the quiet desperation creeps in to convince me to live for something more. I often pair Thoreau's quote with another quote by C.S. Lewis.
"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
The idea of desire is something that man has been talking about for many thousands of years. Whether it be the Epicureans and Stoics in ancient Greece, or the Taoists and Buddhists of ancient China, a large assortment of questions have been asked throughout time about this notion of desire. What is good in life to desire, how strongly should I desire it and fight for it? As I think about this life of mine, I strangely find that I cannot be fully satisfied unless I know that I have fought for something truly extraordinary. If I have not does this, if I've instead let myself settle for the things that are right in front of my eyes, I'll always feel the nagging tug of quiet desperation come into the back of my heart and mind.
I hate that I often desire things which in the end prove hollow. I often feel like the child Lewis describes, settling for mud pies because I just can't fully understand the better things that are out there to find. My current hope for my life is that I can simply life a life that's full, whether it be full of joys or full of difficulties. Here is a short excerpt from another of my writings that really illustrates the feeling I'm trying to convey.
"How wonderful it is to simply be full, to travel about a day or an hour in the world, feeling the fullness of things. So often, doesn't life prove less than this? How often is fullness replaced by a dull numbness, half-hearted creatures half-heartedly taking in a rich world? Though I walk through trials and pain and the mundane, I will feel them all in their fullness. Whatever this life may bring, let it be rich and fill my heart. Even in sorrow, be this wish still true -' even in grief, let fullness be glad."
About the Author
Ben Mester is an author for Plan B Publishing http://planb-publishing.com/AuthorsBlog , where you can find his novels, thoughts on life, other quotes to live by, and more. Check it out if you want to read more!
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